Remember the times when you have a song in your head that just keeps playing over and over? I am having one of those moments as I sit here at my computer. The song was written by Geoff Moore and Steven Curtis Chapman and is called “The Great Adventure.” Like many songs, I remember certain lines or the chorus but not necessarily the entire song.
The first four words are ‘Saddle up your horses’. Nice. Sounds like a plan (a more likely plan when the spring showers let up). The song continues with:
“Started out this morning in the usual way. Chasing thoughts inside my head of all I had to do today. Another time around the circle, try to make it better than the last. I opened up the Bible and I read about me. Said, I’d been a prisoner and God’s grace had set me free. And somewhere between the pages, it hit me like a lightning bolt. I saw a big frontier in front of me and I heard somebody say, ‘Let’s go!’ Saddle up your horses; we’ve got a trail to blaze. Through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace. Let’s follow the leader into the glorious unknown. This is a life like no other. This is the great adventure. Come on; get ready for the ride of your life. Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind. And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored. This is what we were created for. Saddle up your horses; we’ve got a trail to blaze. Through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace. We’ll travel over, over mountains so high. We’ll go through valleys below. Still, through it all, we’ll find that this is the greatest journey that the human heart will ever see. The love of God will take us far; beyond my wildest dreams. Saddle up your horses. Come on, get ready to ride. Let’s follow our Leader into the glorious unknown. This is a life like no other. This is the great adventure.”
As people were setting up their chairs outside the round pen to experience a group session at Abba’s Lad Riding Camp, “The Great Adventure” song would be playing until it was time to begin. Today, Corral Connections exists to provide a ninety-minute one-on-one session or a 2-hour group round pen session, where the horse is the visual aid and teacher. I am the communicator between horse and humans. One of my intentions is to build confidence in others while they are learning.
Growth occurs outside our comfort zone, and it is rarely comfortable or convenient. Inside, tender spots can become quite an adventure for us in this growth, exposing a mountain or a valley that is defined by our “reactive” self. The glorious unknown is to move beyond reactive to “responsive.” Reactive hinders relationship(s) while responsive builds. Another glorious unknown is when we simply “show up” and observe/listen for in the showing up, being present, and listening, we simply learn without trying to learn!
When learning happens in this way, it is you who are aware of your results. You step out of fear and shame into the blazing trail of taking responsibility for your choices. Graciously, beyond your wildest dreams, you seek ways to improve your strategies in an unforced rhythm. It is you who sees the purpose of the lesson and feel responsible for your own contribution. Wouldn’t it be beyond amazing to “discover” a whole new horizon on what it means to be responsible? That word can be saddled to “blame.” What if that word responsible was instead saddled to liberty, joy, grace and confidence? Now that could be the ride of your life!
I want to thank Christine and her Beloved Willie for sharing some photos with me on their adventures. For fun, can you identify Colorado, Wyoming, Illinois (One Horse Gap Lake) and North Carolina (Triple Falls)?
Your NEIGHbor,
Deb Kitchenmaster
