An Educated Horse

The Lord says,
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Do not be like the wild horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you. " (Psalm 32:8-9)

I don't know what you may feel when you read this... for me, whenever I read this passage I often feel "ouched". The picture here is a horse and her master. Her master bridled her and controlled her by putting a bit in her mouth. Have you ever seen a bit? It is metal -- cold, hard metal. I felt this passage was a depict of torture for the horse, and in turn, for me... if I am disciplined by my Master, I am in fact somewhat being tortured by Him. No matter how much the sweet words "teach, counsel, watch over, understanding" may mean good to me, the bit, the cold, hard metal bit is vivid in my mind... ...

Until last week when I visited a horse barn. I asked my long-bearing question. The lady master showed me the bit. Not only the bit, she show me also the mouth of a horse. A horse has 2 sets of teeth, one set in the front, which is used to pick up food and put in its mouth; the other set in the back, and is used to chew food more thoroughly. In between the 2 sets of teeth, there is a section of the mouth that has no teeth. The bit conveniently goes there. A horse with a bit in her mouth is a mark of education and intelligence.

Similarly, I also inquired about the horse-shoes. I always wondered whether it hurt for the metal to be mounted on the horse's feet. Again she showed me the horse-shoes, but not only that, she also show me the horse feet. The horse feet is fragile when walking on hard surfaces and may break and get fractured. But, they doesn't have nerves in some areas, where the metal mounting would take place. She made a point specifically that a loving master will use professionals to do the work. To mount metal for the horses is to let the horses wear "shoes". A horse with horse-shoes is a mark of care and love by her master.

I marveled in awe and was speechless. Often times, we do not understand God because we do not know ourselves. I imagined horse bits and horse-shoes hurt horses because I did not know horses. Trusting in God and giving yourself to his hands for education, discipline and care is a beautiful and intelligent thing if I know who I am, indeed, indeed.