When Life Bucks...

Dearest Friend,

Please imagine this.

You climb into the saddle and put your feet in the stirrups. Your horse starts walking slowly, progresses into a canter, then into a full-speed gallop. Of course, you maintain your grip on the reins and watch the world's landscape rush on either side of you, like river rapids passing the shore.  This relationship between horse and rider goes on for miles and days on end. You enjoy the breeze and the ride despite the rough trail at times.

Until one day—out of the blue—your horse starts bucking. Over and over, for no reason.

You tighten your grip on the reins and clench your thighs on the unruly beast. Why? What prompted such a change? You don't want to fall off. Pain would surely follow. How can you calm the horse down? You hold on for dear life, realizing all the more, life is dear.

So you are the rider and the horse is life which starts out slow, picks up speed until running wide open. Family—work—friends—bills—health issues—obligations. There are sweet moments, fun times, and yes, rough trails too. But that's the all-familiar ride, day after day. Until…

Until life served up one crises after another—not the average kind of issue but the rock-your-world, better-hold-on-kind. Like the bucking horse.

And the questions of why now, what changed, and how to stop the bucking are endless. Your hands ache from the extreme grip on the reins and your head from the constant whipping around. How much longer? And just when you think it can't get worse, another crisis arrives.

I wish I could say, "I understand what you are going through." But I don't.

I wish I could change these crises. But I can't.

I wish I could take some of your pain. But it doesn't work that way.

But I can tell you, "I'm here for you."

But I can pray for you. Courage. Perseverance. Peace.

And I can remind you—I love you—but more importantly--God, the Lover of your soul, the Rock, the Mighty Fortress—loves you even more.

Hebrews 10:23 NIV, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Hang on to those reins, dear one. Better trails are ahead.

What would you say to a hurting friend? How can we encourage someone in the depth of despair? Please share. It may just change a life.