| (Copyright 2020) by Sue Hyatt (Grapevine, Texas) |
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| This came up in my Face Book account today and I enjoyed reminiscing. Perhaps you, too, will enjoy it and recall God’s Hand in your own life, preparing you for His commission today. _______________________________ I grew up in a family of horse-lovers and we had many horses and ponies. As a kid, I enjoyed riding, as well as training and showing Silver, my pinto; Nugget, the palomino; Pocahontas (“Poky”), the appaloosa; Dimples, the Shetland, and others. Some would say, “WOW! You sure were a privileged kid!” Well, perhaps, I was in some ways. But with the privilege came a whole lot of responsibility. I had to work hard every single day to care for them if I wanted to enjoy those moments on horseback—riding through the fields and woods or showing in the ring. Every day—morning, noon, and night—no matter how I felt, if I wanted them, I had to care for them. In the winter, there was water to carry through the below-zero temperatures and wind-whipped, snowbanks. There was manure to shovel. There were bales of hay to lift and shake open. There was feed to prepare. Tack to clean. And much more! I don’t ever remember complaining. I understood that to have the privilege I enjoyed, I had to shoulder the responsibility that accompanied that privilege. There were no days off. It didn’t matter how I felt. I had responsibility. And now, decades later, I am not complaining. I am thankful. I would not have changed those days for anyone else’s station in life. No doubt, this formative experience has served me well throughout my life, especially in my Christian leadership responsibilities. These responsibilities have never been a job, and I don’t enjoy the privilege of a paycheck. Yet I can say that the Lord has always been faithful and remains faithful to take care of me as I take care of His business. I don’t work for people. I do work for the Lord as best I can, with every fiber of my being. That is my responsibility. And serving Him is not a hobby. It isn’t some fun task that I can just pick up when I feel like it. It’s a responsibility. A few years ago, I was expressing my heart to the Lord. I so wanted to see increase for my efforts! Here’s what I heard Him say in my spirit: Steward the blessing and I will bring the increase, and when I do, it will not be a burden. As we value what He has given us, we’ll take meticulous care of what is in our hands. And He will entrust us with more. That is increase that is from the Lord. I’ve noticed that a poverty spirit always wants more, while a prosperous person takes care of what is already in his or her possession, and whatever that is increases and produces more. If you see someone who seems to be privileged, I hope you will look again—behind the scenes—and understand the responsibility that gave rise to that apparent privilege. ——————————————————————————– Reprinted with permission from: God’s Word to Women http://www.godswordtowomen.org/ ——————————————————————————– |
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