WESTERN WISDOM, Season 5, Episode 3, "The Joy of a Neck Rein Horse" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
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THE JOY OF A NECK REIN HORSE
Stephen Bly
Circa 1995
Having a neck reined horse is like having one with an automatic transmission. Lots of horses only respond to the rider when they feel a yank on the reins and a tug at the bit. Unless you jerk that hard metal against their mouth, they don’t respond. Well, that’s like a standard transmission in the car. You can get them to go where you want, but only if you work at it.
But the horse that is trained to be neck reined means you give commands to the horse only by applying the gentle touch of the leather reins against the horse’s neck. Just that light touch of leather is enough to tell the animal what to do.
It’s an absolute pleasure to own and ride a horse that has been so trained. They respond quickly to your command, seem eager to please, and enjoy relieving you of the need to always fight for control.
I figure the Lord wants to neck rein you and me, in a spiritual sense. He can certainly get our attention by using harsh discipline. He can always send a trial, a testing, a temptation, a fiery dart from Satan, a tragedy, a humbling, a physical infirmity, or anything else to get us to change directions.
But I think He’d just as soon give us gentle commands and see us q2uickly be obedient to His control.
That seems to be what Paul is calling upon in 2 Corinthians 10:1. He states that it is “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you …” Paul is hoping that the church in Corinth is neck reined. He’s hoping that just a gentle nudge will help swing it back up on the trail of spiritual truth.
But if they absolutely refuse to respond to the gentle leading, the he states what will happen.
“This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority … the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down” (2 Corinthians 13:10).
Paul reminds them, just as the Lord reminds us, that God’s control will come into our lives. His control will come because we belong to him and are responsible for our every action before Him.
Whether that control comes as gently as neck reining a horse, or as harsh as a yank on the steel bit, depends on how responsive we choose to be.