We Are The Horse Shoe

It is late. We turned in a little while ago. The bedroom is pitch black, and this allows my mind to wander. This seems to be the time that I am able to be tuned in to the Lord like no other time of the day.

We are waiting for Bro. Rusty, Sis. Mary, and their three little darlings to come in. They aren't due in until around 2am. We have left the light on, the front door unlocked, and the guest room ready for them. One of the joys of a comfortable relationship. As I began to say my prayers I remembered a vision Den had several years ago when we were very young. The vision was long, detailed, and laid out our future with the Lord in many ways. We have thought of this vision many times through our life, and have pondered the meaning of it often.

One detail of the vision that the Lord put on my heart tonight was the part of Den watching a blacksmith. The blacksmith was unaware of Den's presence as he was laboring, for the tool that he was making was representative of Dennis. At first, Den thought the blacksmith was making a sword. It was long and dark as the blacksmith was trying it in the fire, and reshaping it with a hammer. The work was long and intensive. As Den continued to watch the blacksmith work he began to see the true shape of the metal, and it was that of a horse shoe. It was not a glamorous sword at all, but one of a mundane horse shoe that was to be trodden underfoot.

Well of course, of our flesh there is always disappointment when discovering that you are not the shiny two edged sword. I mean who doesn't want to be the glorious sword that fights in a battle and gets quite a bit of glory? Who would choose to be the horse shoe that was under a horse and stuck in the mire and the mud on many a journey? Well this vision has always been good for us. It has kept us humble, and gave us a clear understanding of our labor in life. We are the horse shoe.

So what does that mean? Well tonight I felt like it was a little clearer. As I laid in my bed, in the darkness, waiting for my brethren to arrive, I began to think about our work here, and also in days past. Den and I have lived in almost every assembly in the northwest. Most of the time not for very long, but long enough to either do a labor or build some beautiful bonds with those that live there. We have seen some wonderful, amazing things, and we have seen things that have made us cry and weep to a depth I didn't believe possible. Life isn't always easy when you are a horse shoe, and it certainly hasn't been glorious. So how does that tie into now? Well I began to think of the horse. The horse is the worker of the Lord, maybe its the spirit....I don't begin to fully understand, but this horse has been sent to do a work. For instance, coming to this place to start anew. In order for this horse to travel it has needed a horse shoe, well 4 to be exact. One that will help it achieve it's goal. When the Lord said for us to go we had to be willing. We had to be willing to get a little mud, dung, water, and all things dirty underneath, and behind us, in order to come.

We may not be remembered as a glorious sword, but we understand that there is a need for shoe. We are that shoe. One that isn't often seen under the foot of the horse, but one that is necessary. We are all workers for the Lord. Wherever he calls us to be we need to be willing to be. Whatever capacity He calls us to be used, we must be willing to be used. Even if at the end of the day the master is rooting out the dirt between the hoof and the shoe, that is us. I am thankful that we are a part of the journey. I am thankful that we are on the horse at all. I am thankful that he remembered to put us on a hoof, so that we can gain eternal life.