It is truly amazing how God works through "ordinary" events to fulfill his purposes. One way that God recently did this involved the intersection of two young lives. One life was a young man who had let it be known that he was terrified of horses. He said that he had been thrown off the only two times he had ever been on a horse when he was a young child. He was so petrified that he was afraid to get near horses, even while he was inside an automobile. The young man shared his fears after he became aware that he might participate in the Spirit of Hope - King's Ranch collaborative effort to unite horses and kids who need a second chance at life. After some talk with his counselor about his fears the young man decided that he wanted to face his fear. The young man and his counselor, still in a car, gradually worked their way closer and closer to a young colt that was on the other side of the fence. By the time they were within about twenty feet of the colt another gentleman who was totally unaware of what was taking place began to pet the colt. The counselor decided to get out of the car to pet the colt but the youth was told that he could stay in the car if he wished. Within a few minutes the door of the car opened and the youth tentatively came close enough to reach out and touch the colt with the tips of his fingers.
At that moment the other gentleman told the story of the colt. The colt had been the only survivor of a herd of twenty. The other nineteen had starved due to neglect and abandonment. In a voice thick with emotion, the youth said, "That's what happened to me." From that moment the youth became comfortable with the colt and began to pet him affectionately. The bonding was immediate. The youth said, "I want to take care of that horse." In a moment that could have been orchestrated only by God, a young man made a significant step along his healing journey and an unpretentious colt gained a new friend.
And that's what The Spirit of Hope is all about.
