"So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary."
-Hebrews 6:18-19
"In Sessions last night, we challenged our girls to lead their chosen horse through an obstacle course at liberty. This was NOT an easy task but the girls rose to the occasion. Two girls had chosen Pogo to lead through because they felt they knew him well and love him dearly. But the first obstacle, leading Pogo to step over a small jump, proved to be more difficult than they expected.
After diving into the task headfirst, their excitement quickly died as they realized Pogo wasn't understanding their instructions and wasn't accomplishing the task as quickly as they hoped. After a few attempts, their energy lowered and I could tell they wanted to give up. Under the careful coaching of the Session Leaders, the girls began to understand that their belief that they couldn't do it and unclear instructions were keeping Pogo from stepping over the jump. They reset, inviting him to follow them, and then approached the jump with high energy and cheers of encouragement to Pogo. Pogo finally stepped over the jump and we all clapped and celebrated with them!
The jump wasn't large but because the outcome was different than they expected, the girls were quickly tempted to give up. The circumstances that had brought these two girls to the Ranch had taught them that it's easiest to give up rather than risk disappointment or hurt. But their community quickly banded with them, giving them encouragement and showing we were for them just like they need to be for Pogo. We showed them how to believe in Pogo and themselves because we believed in them.
When life is difficult, situations seem big, and outcomes aren't what we expected, it is easy for hope to diminish. These are the times when we need community the most. We need our people to band around us, coach us through, and encourage us to keep fighting. Most importantly, we need to be pointed back to the hope that we can place our trust in and anchor our souls to. The things that are big to us are tiny to our God who sees us and promises to be with us. Call on your community to point you back to hope today. And if you need some encouragement, the Ranch and our horses are here for you!"
-Written by Rachel Moore, Executive Assistant