God’s first three commandments can sharpen our brain, the next three add our heart, then the last four can sharpen our character in horsemanship as well as everything else. These four include no adultery, no steal, no lie, and no covet, which all exercise courage to contrast taking the easy way out.
These can be thought of as building blocks. No adultery is the keep on keeping on in the face of possible fear, boredom, discomfort, lack of reward or whatever that might dissuade us from doing the right thing or continue to do the right thing. This is needed to do the next one – do not steal. I call the no steal commandment the “Jesus Christ” one because it is the sensitivity one.
The one who gets us walking in others’ shoes, taking on their body so to speak. The part that amazes me more than anything else about God is that he was willing to take on a body like mine so he could feel what we feel first hand. The no adultery perseverance helps give us time to work on our sensitivity. The sensitivity is what helps us with the “do not lie” commandment.
Crystal clear communication becomes our number one priority that trumps deception and gets our timing right for learning. Horses and people learn so much faster when we love transparency. When we are serious about the above three laws, we can then see how the last one – no covet, can build on this. This law represents flexibility in the face of adversity. It makes it much easier to make do with what we have, and be productive without blaming the lack thereof on other people, horses or things.
With horses, the “no adultery” commandment represents cruise control, auto-pilot and ground-hugging radar in the expensive fighter jets. For us human beings, it is the loyal, trustworthy, consistent nature that helps us be valuable to the world around us. We try to get this in horses by slowly asking them for more perseverance. Before asking them to run 12 circles in the round pen without stopping, we will reward them for one or two circles by stopping them before they try stopping on their own. We will also try to work them where they want to be and reward them where they do not want to be. With us humans, I think this quality is obtained with who and what we surround ourselves with.
The no steal law in horses is the mutual sensitivity that is developed between horse and rider that makes them look like the perfect dance team. A horse will only be as receptive to the rider as the rider has learned to be sensitive to the horse. The other responsibility of the rider is to provide a clearly increasing discomfort level for the horse’s inattention to the rider’s body language. Yet also quick relief when the attention is there again.
The timing of when to apply discomfort and comfort to a horse in order to not lie to them is obtained from the sensitivity of the prior law.
The do not covet law falls in place when we have been serous about the above three. Essentially we have developed a situation where we are not as dependent on equipment. The horse will guide and ride with body language with very little dependence on anything else.
I believe these boots on the ground courage commandments are the real application of our religion, religious or not (you might be your own God). On the surface they seem pretty cut and dried. But in real life they should humble us greatly. Jesus alluded to this when he told us in the Bible that none of us get these commandments right because even our thoughts disqualify us. We commit adultery by not controlling our thoughts. We steal when we are insensitive in any way. We lie when our communication is either unclear or nonexistent, and we covet when we complain rather than use what God has provided us in the best possible way. This should drive us to our knees in prayer to depend on God to help us with these impossible tasks.
That way we do not have nearly the time to compare ourselves with the “heathen” around us. I am convinced I am going to heaven because I am relying 100-percent on Jesus Christ’s record of mastering these commandments perfectly. I know I cannot satisfy the requirements of eternity with Jesus with my spotted record, so I thankfully trust in him for my salvation.
But in the meantime, God help us see the sin in ourselves that we seem to so much easier see in others. Then help us never give up working on it, humbly empowering others to let God work through them to help us. Most importantly let us recognize that it is God working through us to obtain this courage as well as everything else good.
Mike Daniels is a horsemanship trainer and barefoot trimming specialist from Raymondville. Email him at rlhorse58@yahoo.com.
