ave
you ever hurt yourself with or on something and been so scared you did not
want to use it again? Maybe you where riding your bicycle and fell off and now
you don't feel happy when you ride on it. Well today I am going to tell you a
story about a boy named Bobby who had something like that happed to him and
how he learnt to stop being scared.
From very young, Bobby loved animals. As far back as he
could remember he always had a pet or an animal in his house. Like the time he
brought tadpoles home from a near by pound and watched as the tadpoles grew
into little baby frogs. But there was one animal he really loved very much and
wished he could have. The only problem was, this animal was too big to stay in
the house where he lived! You see, Bobby lived in the city and the garden was
just too small to keep it in. Would you like to guess which animal it was?
Okay I will tell - it was a horse!
It was very common for Bobby and his parents on a Saturday
morning to go to the near by horse racing stables and visit for a while before
going shopping. They would sit and watch as the stable workers exercised and
cleaned the racing horses to keep them fit and healthy. But the most exciting
thing to watch was the young horses playing in the meadows with each other.
They always look so free as they ran, jumped and roll around on the ground.
They where always getting up to mischief, like nipping each other when the
other horse was not expecting it. They would then chase after each other and a
game of catch would be played.
Bobby so wished he could just ride one of the horses and
feel what it was like to have the wind in his hair. He would dream of a
beautiful chestnut brown horse that was his every own, He would ride the horse
over the open countryside and sleep out under the stars, just like they did in
the cowboy movies. There was only one big problem though! He didn't know how
to ride and if he got on the horse he would most likely fall of because he
would not know how to hold on or how to stop the horse if it did start to run.
But it was sure nice to dream and in his dream he was the best horse rider in
the world.
One Saturday Bobby could not understand why his parents
where making him wear his blue jeans and cowboy boots. They where his most
favorite clothes and he loved wear them, but something was up with his
parents. Well he put on his blue jeans and cowboy boots and made his way to
the car. His daddy started the car and off they went, but this time his
parents did not go the normal way to the horse racing stables they had gone to
so many times in the past, in fact they where going the opposite way. He felt
a little sad in his heart because now he was all dressed up like a cowboy and
he would not see a horse. Or would he?
As he started looking out the window, he began to play the
normal game he always played when riding in the car. The game was to see who
could see the most animals on the trip they where on. He would shout out the
names of the animal every time he saw it and he always seemed to win or at
least he liked to think so.
This trip seemed to be quite a bit of fun as it seemed to
take them passed a lot of farm lands, but Bobby soon understood what was going
on when in the distance he could see a horse riding school. Was it true? He
could not believe his eyes! Was this why his parents made him wear is cowboy
clothes? His parents where taking him horse riding? His dream was coming true!
They went into the Riding School and from the car Bobby
could see lots of other children getting ready for a riding lesson. They had
riding hats and funny looking sticks called crops. Some of the children where
making sure the saddles where tightly fastened to the horses, while others
where already on top of the horses waiting to start.
As they got out the car a lady came to Bobby and welcomed
him to the Riding school. She was to be his teacher. She told him that they
where going to have a lot of fun together and if he ever had any question he
should feel free to ask. Bobby was feeling really excited about learning how
to ride, but he was also very nervous too. He had never done this before in
real life and the horses didn't seem to be as big in the movie or in his
dreams. Some of the horses where so big, he could not look over their backs
never mind climb up onto them! He knew the horse riding lessons were not going
to be easy, but it was going to be fun learning and it was the only way he
would learn how to ride a horse right, just like they did in the movies.
Well time went on and little by little Bobby got the hang
of riding a horse. At first all he could do was walk the horse, which was not
much fun to do! But as he got the hang of riding the horse, the walking became
a slow run or trot. He also found out about all the things that had to be done
to look after a horse. It took a lot of money and hard work to own your own
horse. He helped clean out a horses stable once and it wasn't every nice. He
much preferred coming to the riding where they did in all for you. Besides He
had made some friends and he also enjoyed being able to ride different horses.
Well this soon changed one day, when a new horse came to
the riding school. It was always fun when a horse trailer would come to the
riding school. Every one would get so excited, it was like Christmas had come
early and they where opening their presents again. It was always a surprise to
see what new horse was inside the trailer. Even the other horses in the riding
school would "winnie" as the new horse would come out of the
trailer. Well this day as the horse came out Bobby could not believe his eyes.
It was a chestnut brown horse and as the sun shone on the
horse’s coat, it made the horse look even more beautiful than before! His
teacher told the class that this was a new horse for the school and the horses
named was Monty. Bobby fell in love with Monty and every time he went to ride
he would beg his teacher to ride the new horse. As it so happened the other
children seemed to be a little small to ride the horse, so Bobby got to ride
the horse of his dreams and she was a dream. She never did anything naughty
like some of the other horses. When he was on Monty's back he felt like a King
and would do his very best. He did so well that his teacher would let him ride
one her away from the other children sometimes so that Monty and him could
ride alone.
One day as Bobby and Monty where riding alone something bad
happened that almost spoilt everything. You see, this very morning it was very
windy and as Bobby and Monty rode alone around the paddock, Bobby could tell
that Monty was not happy. He spoke to her quietly and told her not to be
scared and that if she was good he would give her an extra sugar cube. (Bobby
would always teat Monty to a sugar cube every time they rode together and she
behaved.) This seemed to calm her down a bit and Bobby kept talking to her
softly as he was taught to do by his teacher when a horse was scared.
Everything seemed to go great until a loud CRACK! rang out
across the paddock. It was made from a branch from a near tree as it broke and
fell to the ground. Monty got such a fright that she reared up into the air
and then ran to the other side of the paddock. There was one problem in all
this commotion and it had to do with poor Bobby. As it so happened he did not
get to stay on the horses back! Nope - He was knocked to the ground as Monty
reared into the air. He tried his very best to hold to the reins, but it did
not help. He was not strong enough and his hands slipped of the reins and
there was nothing else to hold onto because Monty was moving faster then he
was and was already out of his reach. Bobby felt like the guy in the cartoons
when the horse runs away and the rider is left with all the horse gear but no
horse. And if that was not bad enough, when Bobby finally landed, he landed in
the food trough where the horses ate their food.
At first Bobby just lay there and tried to figure out what
had just happened, he was a little confused because it happened so fast. As he
climbed out the food trough and had dusted himself off, he was quite happy to
find out that there wasn't anything badly wrong with him. All he had wrong was
a few scratches and bruises from the fall. The worst damage was his pride from
falling into the food trough. Still feeling rather sick and shaken up inside.
He started to make his way out the paddock. He had had enough of riding for
one day and after falling like that, the last thing he wanted to do was fall
off again - he was scared. He loved Monty and knew the she would never have
hurt him on purpose, but he still did not want to get back on her. Every time
he thought of getting back on her back he would break out into a cold sweat,
his stomach would do flip-flops and his legs just wanted to collapse on him.
Then the worst thing happened - his teacher asked him to
get back on. She knew that if Bobby did not get back on the horse and ride,
the fear from him falling off the horse would grow inside him and soon Bobby
would be too scared to ever ride again!
Bobby didn't know what to do! He did want to ride again, it
was his most favorite thing in the whole world. The problem was he did not
want to fall and get hurt all over again. As He stood there, too scared to
move, he has was reminded of a Bible story he heard when King Saul was made
King.
The children of Israel wanted a king like all the other
people in the different lands near by them and so they asked God to give them
a King. But he was not to be an ordinary king - no! They wanted the tallest
and the best looking king that was brave and strong. They wanted the best!
Well it was not what God wanted, but he loved the children
of Israel so much that He gave them what they wanted. He gathered all the
people in a certain place so that he could choice their new king. Everyone was
so excited, they where going to have a king! Once all the people where ready,
God told the prophet Samuel to call for Saul and make him King. You see Saul
was the tallest, strongest and best-looking person in all the land of the
Children of Israel.
Well do you know what Saul did? Instead of being all happy
and brave and going to Samuel to be made king, Saul tried to hide away in and
amongst all the pots and baskets of food and water that where lying there.
They had to find him and force him to go to Samuel, but do you know what? Once
he got over being scared and asked the Lord to help him, he became a great
king.
Well Right there Bobby knew that if he was going to ever
ride Monty again he would have to do it now, so he said a little prayed that
went Like this:
"Lord Jesus, I need your
help.
You know how scared I am.
You know what I am feeling inside and you don't make people scared.
Please help me to not be scared.
Please help me to get back on Monty and ride her like I always have without
being Scared.
In Jesus Name,
Amen"
Well as Bobby made his way over to Monty, with each step he
took it seemed like the Lord Jesus was taking all the bad feelings away from
him. By the time he got to Monty he was feeling a lot better and with a deep
breath and some help from his daddy, Bobby got onto Monty’s back and began
to ride. At first he was still a little scared, but he soon forgot about the
fall and started to remember all the good things he had done with Monty
before. The Lord Jesus had taken the bad fall away and now instead made him
remember all the good things. Jesus did such a good job, that not long
afterwards he and Monty won first place in a special event that was held at
the Riding School for all the children. The event was held to show everyone
what the children had learnt and how good they where at handling a horse.
Bobby was so glad that he had prayed and had got back on Monty, because all
his hard work and scrapes and bruises had paid off.
Has something bad happened to you, to make you scared? Are
you like Bobby having to face something that makes you so scared, you break
out into a cold sweat and your stomach does flip-flops? Why not let the Lord
Jesus help you? He knows what has to be done to make it all better and is the
only one that can fix it. He wants to take those horrible feelings away from
you, so that you will never have to feel it or face it again!
The End!
