Campfire Cowgirls

Cozy up to the fire and enjoy the tales of my cowgirl pals.  

Sassy Classy Cowgirl Guest #1 

~ Casey Jo Bailey ~

My first guest post is from one of my best friends in the whole world.  Our friendship is straight from the Lord.  We have been through a lot together in the past ten years and I am proud to introduce her to you.  Relax and enjoy this cowgirl's campfire tale.

 

Not Just Horsing Around 

“Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane? …He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; he does not shy away from the sword.” (Job 39:19-22 NIV)

 In my heart I have always been a cowgirl. As a child, my all-time favorite pet was a hefty Shetland pony named Sugar Plum. Hefty may be putting it mildly…the pony was so portly that I rode him bare back; a saddle just wasn’t necessary. He was a friendly horse who was loved and cared for by a little girl who frequently sang “give me a, a give me a redneck girl” and “like a rhinestone cowboy” with all the intensity of a real-life celebrity on stage. In my teen years, I graduated to larger horses and more refined behavior (at least when other people were around). For me, being on a horse was the ultimate activity. It could be extremely relaxing to ride along trails at a slow pace, or it could becompletely exhilarating to let a horse go at full speed in a wide open space, knowing that the animal beneath me had much more control than I did. Everything about a horse was majestic and glorious to me…including their scent, muscular build, and ability to carry and interact with people the way they do.

 Sadly, an experience occurred at the age of 14 that caused me to cut myself off from all things country…including horses.  My dad and I had a falling out at a rodeo that resulted in deep wounds and a negative association with the passion for horses we had shared. Although I did not know it at the time, I let a very dark thing begin to grow in my heart…a root of bitterness.

Hebrews 12:14-15 reads, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (NIV)

Although my dad and I both needed to set some healthy boundaries and even spend time apart, a spirit of rejection and spirit of pride seemed to completely overtake peace and holiness for 17 long years.

 It was in the spring of 2005 when my husband and I began the process of adopting two incredible children that I knew it was time to face that terrible root of bitterness in my heart. “How will you be able to teach children to forgive their birth parents if you do not model that concept in your own life?”  The Holy Spirit whispered the question again and again until one life-changing night at a ladies’ fellowship.  I was trembling so hard as God’s Word was being spoken that I had to excuse myself from the room.  I will never forget clinging to an outside wall, weeping uncontrollably, and asking the Father to “help me forgive my dad.” I wanted to pull the request back in as soon as it came out of my mouth, but it was too late…I was on the path to healing and there was no turning back.

The reunion with my dad was miraculous and right on time. Like most matters of the soul, it has been a process for everyone involved in our lives to adjust to the changes that have come with reconnecting.  Through some of those challenges, I realized that I needed some extra help, and friend of mine  recommended “equine therapy.” It is counseling that includes horses. Talk about restoration! I now have the privilege of working with the very creatures I deprived myself of all those years.

Equine therapy works like traditional counseling but with a little extra horsepower. Horses are exceptionally sensitive animals, and they reflect client’s feelings. They have no personal agenda, so they are great to work with. Various tasks and exercises are engaged in to get the client to think through feelings and reactions. The horses are used to help those in need consider how they handle themselves and possibly re-evaluate their responses. This kind of counseling is focused on the client’s needs and desires, helping the individual understand him/herself more clearly and provide tools for change if necessary.

 It is a unique experience and something that could be beneficial for many types of people, even those who aren’t exactly horse lovers. For me it has been a double portion blessing. It has made Isaiah 61:7 come alive for me: “Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” (NIV)

 Through equine therapy, Christian counseling, prayer, and renewing my mind with the washing of God’s Word, I am learning to cope with the past while looking with hope to the future. Plus, I have the pleasure of working with an old favorite…the creature our King Himself loves!

If you enjoyed this post and know someone that could be blessed by reading this story, please feel free to email this post to them.  We want to encourage and lift up our sisters in the Lord.