Well, well, on this
Thankful Thursday… thankful it is Thursday!
The word for the Front
Porch on this ‘promising to be a nice day’ Thursday is
Mobilize…
This word is often
associated with the mobile phones…phones on the go…phones that you can pick up
and take anywhere. Not today…going another direction..
The meaning of mobilize we are going to
discuss today takes a leap from that meaning: the act of organizing resources and putting them into a state
of readiness so they can be used for a particular job…mobilize...
Another
meaning: Mobilize is the act of assembling and making both troops and
supplies ready for war. Interesting. The
word mobilization was
first used, in a military context. Rightfully so when thinking of why we are
here; we are equipped, thoroughly furnished, make ready at a moment’s notice to
go to battle against the enemy of enemies: Satan. Mobilized…
Satan
has a plan and purpose: to kill, steal, and destroy; however, whenever,
wherever he can. He does not play
fair. He loves to ambush, backstab and
play dirty. He can sneak up, spring on
and sever us from the Body of Christ quick...sometimes as quick as a blink of
an eye.
We
may be going along, flying high on Easy Street, making our way down Melody Lane
cruising on Prosperity Avenue..and then the blow out. Our lives can be overturned, sideswiped,
crashed; the crash and burn syndrome.
Often we just don’t know what happened.
Relationships are intact, loving, functioning...then BOOM, just like a
blow out on our vehicle, we are careening to the right and left, trying to hold
steady and the experience of that awful,
sickening, gripping in our gut. That
punch, that pounding that knocks the breath out of us and leaves us flat on our
face…down for the count. Been there?
We
try to pick ourselves up, mouth filled with blood, spitting and sputtering, we
feel the broken ribs, crushed bones, scraped, scratched faces, bruises…but none
of that compares with the brokenness of the heart…where the real scars and
wounds are.
When
this happens, there are two choices: lay there, moan, groan, cry have a pity
party, crouch in the corner and beg the Devil to quit hitting you...pitiful
indeed
OR you can drag
yourself up, first roll over, put one knee up to support yourself, then the
other and slowly using both hands push yourself upright and then stand…after
having done all stand, get ready to fight again. Mobilize.
As
I have indicated earlier: I love horses…such a strange fascination. No one in my immediate family had
horses…although I do recall one of my sisters also loving horses…and by the way
she lives on a farm in Kentucky and has her own herd of horses…anyway….
I
have had the unpleasant experience of falling/getting thrown off a horse-twice. Not nice.
The first time was during one of those summer visits to my grandparents. My uncle’s wife’s family had a farm. A real farm; acres upon acres…they lived off
the land, grew the usual crops and raised food, animals to sell in order to
live. Cattle, chickens, pigs…. It was a big operation.
One afternoon I was granted the privilege of
going to their farm. They had several
children, all about my age. And they had
horses…lots of horses. I had not been on
a horse except one other time…remember the neighbor I was telling you about
that had horses...well somehow, someway my mom arranged for the neighbor to
bring one of their ponies down to our house on my 6th birthday…I
recall riding that little pony all over the yard and pretending she was
mine…all mine…the original; ‘my little pony’.
Too quickly time was up and the little pony was led back to her happy
little farm…and I was in love signed; sealed and delivered…
So
about 5 years later I am at this farm...hanging with some kids who know their
stuff…they rode like the wind! No one
asked me about my experience about riding a horse…this was no pony but a big
horse, beautiful horse. I was hoisted
upon this horse, no saddle, just a bridle and off we went. Riding all through
the woods, up and down the creek bed, around the hills, trotting, galloping and
amazingly I held on, I pretty much stayed with the group…but something
happened…I got separated from them and was on my own…I was in a pasture with a
little dirt road…and decided to try to catch up and there I was, hair blowing
in the wind…giddy up! When all of a sudden the horse jerked...for some reason,
he went one way and I stayed in mid air for a second and tumbled to the
ground. I was a bit shaken to say the
least...in my naiveness it never occurred to me that there was any danger or
possibility of getting thrown. I was
dazed BUT at that moment decided right then and there…I would get back on that
horse and ride like the wind and catch up with the others. And I did, got on that horse and did catch
up…Never told anyone I fell off. Mobilized my fear, my thoughts
and moved on...
The
second time was almost 7 years ago; yep pretty recent. We moved to our little farm here in McKinney
and one of the first major purchases we made was a horse. Even the Preacher got in on the deal in
trying to help me find a horse. Didn’t
know about Craig’s List then…so we looked in the paper, asked around and
Preacher found a site Horsetopia…and there I found my horse. Actually, found several.
I
called and lined up a couple of places to visit and ‘test drive’ the
horses. First one was at a breeding farm
where they raised Arabians for show. The
owner was off showing horses and the stable hand was there to show me the horse
they had for sale. A cream colored,
pretty little thing...so on goes the saddle and bridle and up on the horse I go. We were in an indoor riding ring…should be
safe enough. Hmmm... for some reason,
she decided not to move…no amount of kicking in the ribs, gentle tap with the
reigns…nothing…like she was stuck in park.
This little stable guy did something…I still have no idea what…but one
moment she is as still as stone and the next she became a wild, bucking
bronco! Well, I lasted 3 second on her
if that long and off I flew…and yes, your life does flash before you when you
think …this is it…you see Preacher didn’t even know where I was…just knew I was
off looking for a horse. Hmmm...
thoughts like “I hope someone figures
out who I belong to and who can come get the body…my body what is left of it!”
I
hit that ground like a rock, solid, down and out. Thud…knocked every living
breath and then some out of me...and there she stood…again like a rock...I was
laying there, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t say a word, that poor little stable
boy asking me over and over if I was OK.
If I could have spoken I would have said something like…”what do you think??? Do I look
like I am OK!!???”…I lay there, thinking is it death or life…I did not see any
lights at the end of a tunnel…no flaming fire licking at me…so I thought, ‘
well I must still be on earth’.. I finally inhaled and got some sweet air...slow
but sure the breath was coming back into me.
I first sat up…all the time this poor little stable boy...running to get
water, asking me this and that...called the owner and told her what happened
(don’t think he told her about his little trick to get that horse to move) and
boy was he in a panic. He wanted to call
an ambulance and somehow in shaking my head...he figured out the answer was
“no”. I was shook-up- I would be bruised
up and down, all over in places I didn’t know could bruise...don’t know if I
have ever walked straight since.
Finally, I stood up…and I looked at the boy and said, “I am going to try
again’. I got on that horse and he
walked her around a few times…secretly
inside I was screaming…I am out of here…BUT I knew I had to mobilize all my fear, pull all my thoughts
together and conquer and defeat the
thoughts that I might not ever ride again. MOBILIZE!
I
shakily got off that horse…limped to my car…turned and told that little guy,
“Well, I don’t think she is the horse for me.” Understatement of my life!
I had an
appointment on down the road about an hour away to see another horse. I got to the end of the driveway at this
farm…I looked right…the direction of the next farm I had scheduled to visit…I
looked left…home…as far away as I could get from this place and horses. I took a deep breath, called the next farm
and told them I was running late…but I would be there to look at her
horse. Mobilize…pull
it all together to get ready to battle…again again.
Well, I did
make it to the next farm. I did get up
on the horse she had for sale and ‘test drive’ him. I did buy that horse. A big red sorrel, as gentle as can be…at
times too gentle, a little on the lazy side.
He was called Big Red at that farm…I let my granddaughter, Camryn, re-name
him…and she did, Chessie…she thought
he was a Chestnut color (not really)…but hence…he is Chessie.
So…I said all
that to say this: there are times you
are knocked around, knocked down, knocked out…the breath is gone…you have been
stomped on, or so it feels; by life, by friends, by family, by co-workers, by
the boss, by situations and by circumstances.
You can lay there and just not get up or MOBILIZE,
AND get up, take the reins and get back
in the saddle again. Oh, I know not on a
horse…just a metaphor for life in general...just comparing what happened
physically to me to what happens to our spirit, and souls when life punches us
hard.
Mobilize…whatever situation you face
today…get up and meet it head on, take it by the reins and YOU be in charge…oh, it may buck and kick and
throw you again…but mobilize as often as needed…
Well, speaking of mobilize…that
is what I am fixin’ to do …get up…get going…get on with the challenges of the
day
So for now, so long, see ya, good
bye, adios……
Stop by again…here on the Front
Porch!
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