We haven’t always lived at a place where the horses lived at home with us. When we finally moved to a place where they could, I caught myself going out in the pasture just to spend time with them. I would stand in their pen or sit on the water trough and just… hang out. When I started doing this, what surprised me most was that the horses wanted to hang out with me too. They would come stand next to me for pets or a cock a hip and fall asleep. They couldn’t get enough of just being near me. When I took a teaching job, they got even more needy. They’d come to the fence when I pulled in the drive, wait where they could see the door when they heard us moving around in the house, and would even follow me down the fence line when I went to check the mail.
They weren’t expecting feed or treats; they just wanted to be near me. The craziest thing was when I started riding again, they all wanted to be caught - to the point that they would stand and stare at me until I caught and tied them up. They were willing to stand tied, be saddled, and get exercised if it meant they got to be a part of whatever I was doing.
One of my favorite stories in the bible has always been about Mary and Martha.
Luke 10:38-42, “As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed Him and made Him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. ‘Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.’ The Master said, ‘Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.’”
Most of my life I have been Martha. So much so that I remember the first time I read these verses I could hear Jesus saying, “Macie, dear Macie”. I have spent so much time in my life “fussing” - prepping, planning, and worrying about what is next and what I need to be doing. It’s a pattern I fall back into more often than I’d like to admit. I used to get worked up when plans would change, when my life wasn’t in order, and when anything looked less than perfect. Then God wrecked my life (in the best way) in the way only He can. I started seeing things more like Mary. The literal Savior of the world was in her house and all she wanted was to soak up every minute of it. I can only imagine the peace someone felt sitting right next to Jesus.
I am no savior of the universe, far from it. I am just a recovering Martha trying to be more like Mary. Even as imperfect as I am, I think about my horses being so at ease in my presence like Mary was in Jesus’. They know when I am near they will feel love, they will have boundaries, they will be taken care of, and they will feel a sense of purpose. Anyone who has a working bred / performance horse knows these horses love their jobs and their purpose, especially when carried out with a human they trust. As humans, those are the things we need from Jesus (the literal perfect Savior of the universe): love, boundaries, care, and purpose…things that only He can give us. We can fuss and fret about making life fit into our boxes and try to control as much as we can, but it will never give us the peace we are seeking. We have to learn how to sit at His feet and hang onto every word on all occasions, whether that is in the pasture, at the tie post, or while working out our purpose. Life will have seasons of rest, seasons of waiting, and seasons of fulfillment. All of these things we can find peace in through Jesus, if we will just stop fussing and remember to listen at His feet.
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