Looking back, I’m thankful my mom and dad got me into the habit of going to church as a kid.
I stopped going to church at a point in college when I decided that working to pay for my schooling and taking care of my horses was more important. Although I felt a fair amount of the sermons were interesting, I was mostly bored with church, and felt more like I was bribing God to leave me alone if I put in some time for him each Sunday.
I remember as a teenager that my concept of heaven and hell was blurred. Through high school, the place that I kept my horses was a fun place for people to gather while they tended to their horses and rode together. I remember that many of them valued cigarettes and beer, with no mention of – or credit to – God with any of their life. I don’t remember any of them acknowledging God, but instead coarse jokes and language were not uncommon.
At the time I felt that hell might not be so bad a place because life without God seemed so fun for them as I visited with these people. In contrast, my view of heaven was not good. I remember a TV commercial that had people riding a white elevator up to the clouds, and all they did was play harps. We all know that riding horses was much more fun than that.
After college, when leasing a boarding stable for a year or so, I started a rental stable near town on a beautiful river. I gradually began to get bothered by the selfishness of people as I rented horses to them. Many of them did not seem interested in learning to care for my horses while riding, or the safety aspects. But I was impressed by the “Campus Crusade for Christ” college kids. They seemed very teachable and caring about my horses and I.
An evangelical Christian who visited with me at my stable invited me back to church. God at this point became very practical to me. It is the first point in my life when I feel I was presented with a clear gospel of Jesus Christ. I accepted it readily and it helped me in dealing with all my horse riding customers. The gospel emphasized the dilemma God was in, because he is both merciful and just. He loves us, yet at the same time he cannot let sin into heaven. So it made sense to me that our entrance into heaven must be based solely on us personally accepting the perfect life and sacrifice of God himself as Jesus Christ. My main hang up in life was the sin of others as I saw their selfishness dealing with my horses.
Finally, God made it clear to me that it was easier to see others’ vices than it was to see my own faults. When I began to acknowledge that aspect is when I really began to acknowledge God. This truly helped me in dealing with my customers and people in general.
I believe the Christian life has made me more teachable, open and less prejudicial of others. Christ has to remind me to look back at that point in my life because it can be easy for me to backslide if I don’t. I also realize that I have a natural tendency crawl back into myself and not care about others.
As I get older, I do feel the Holy Spirit reminding me to care and learn about others more. I know I need to practice in my own home, especially with my wife.
My view of Jesus Christ relates to an action by a horseman boss I looked up to. He decided to come out and help us load hay on a semi truck in the middle of a snow storm. He did not need to but came out anyway because he was concerned about us.
This is a picture that I feel mirrored God. This solidifies why I believe Jesus Christ is God in the flesh!
Mike Daniels is a horsemanship trainer and barefoot trimming specialist from Raymondville. Email: rlhorse58@yahoo.com.
