Running Scared...

Most of you who follow me, know that I blog whenever I 'get something' and it usually has to do with Horses, lol, go figure! Many of us who own horses, know that as much as we work with training our horses, we are usually the ones who are learning lessons from them.

This afternoon I had a wonderful encounter with some folks that strolled through the new studio, that's another blog for another day in the near! They were enjoying The Herd on the walls, and the new space as we began chatting about wild mustangs, domestic horses and the like...the conversation progressed to sharing experiences we had each had with our own 'equine' family. They began sharing about a little paso-fino mustang who they have had a couple of years...as we talked more they shared of how this little half mustang-paso is a 'bolter' when he is spooked. That makes for a tough horse when riding and unsafe in many ways even dangerous. They shared the love they have for him, but the concern that they are at their wits end with his 'bolting' when in the saddle and spooked.  I have never much declared myself as a 'horse trainer' though I have worked my own horses since they were born to present. But more than the 'training' perspective, on the ride home tonight I was hit with so many thoughts, and as you know...this is where I tend to land on paper when they hit.

And so lets ponder on how this little 'running scared' bolter parallels our own issues of Running Scared...How we respond to fear is always an interesting thing to me...when we don't really know 'who we are' we tend to be insecure and in-confidant of our abilities, and the response to such normally manifests in our response to 'fear'.  We can hang out with the right people, feel safe in the right environment, and 'feel' secure facing our fears as long as were surrounded by those we can depend on to bail us out at the right moment...but what happens when were on our own, in a different element?  Are we a 'bolter' and thus running from our fears?   I am reminded of One who came long before us, who to faced many fears...but the response He had to those fears was quiet the contrast of running.  He knew who He was. He was secure In His identity regardless of what challenges and fears He faced, He knew who He was, where He came from, and the One inside Him being greater than His fears. 

It's amazing when we know who we are...how our responses begin to shift regarding our fears. You all know I talk a lot about knowing who we are, being secure in our identity is so critical.  When we respond to fear out of insecurities or lack of confidence, we not only take the chance of hurting ourselves, but hurting others in the process, like this little paso-fino...bolting, and tossing the rider off its back, running into other horses and riders causing all kinds of potential injuries and chaos.

So, what is the conclusion?  Well, it had me thinking of myself, in my own responses to fear, situations that have no secure outcome etc...I have been tossed (some by my own choosing) and others by Divine Intervention into realms that are constantly 'testing' my identity, my belief in who I am, and whose I am. I confess that there have been those moments when I too have responded much like that little paso-fino, with just enough wild mustang blood running through him to give him the sense to 'survive' at whatever the cost.  We all have a little 'wild' blood running through us, some more than others...the testing is to cultivate greater trust in the Divine One that is forever tweaking us to wholeness, to greater completeness, greater security in our identity in Him alone.

Next time your faced with fear...stop for a moment, breathe, and ask yourself what the test is?  What is the response that will cultivate greater faith, greater trust, and security in our identity?  As we 'get it' we will find that our response to those things that challenge us to 'run' begins to shift gradually as we learn to trust and learn to stand on who we are. I can relate to this little paso-fino, For years I lived in a place that I had no self worth or identity, living in a place of fear is debilating to say the least. But as I have learned 'who I am'...it has given me the courage to grow in facing my fears and respond in a way that reveals a greater faith of who I am, and the I Am that I trust within.

We can create our safe havens in our lives and live in small confines, or we can trust the 'tester' as we are challenged in new arenas in life, little by little learning to face our fears, and ultimately overcome them as we learn to step out in faith, building courage each time we move out into the new, the unknown, and as we do, we learn to step slowly rather then run. Not saying I have arrived, but...I am daily learning to step out and greater trust and in so...building my confidence in the process that I am an overcomer, more than able, to do exceedingly above all that I could have thought ever before. So, I present to you the challenge...allow yourself to be thrown into scary situations, allow yourself to experience the unknowns, allow yourself the opportunity to grow, to learn, to become more secure and confident as you are faced with these challenges that promote the best growth of all, within.

Like that little paso-fino, sometimes we just have to allow the fears to be faced over and over again, until the response begins to shift that is the stepping stone to building our confidence and realizing we had it in us all along...we just needed a little help from above to help us see who we were, and who we were designed to be from the beginning.
Melody