God's Grace is Sufficient

My Dad loved horses. Horses were his passion. He had 15 at the most, usually just one or two to ride. His main riding horse during my lifetime was Chip. A sorrel and white spotted horse with an attitude.

Dad rode Chip to herd cattle on the farm and he loved to ride him in local parades. He would spend an hour or two getting Chip ready, then haul him to the nearest parade, usually State Center's annual Rose Parade. He'd make it just in time to follow in where the horses rode at the back of the parade. Then he rode proudly through the parade route. Sometimes he'd have a grandchild ride along with him.

Chip was Daddy's horse. Chip knew who his owner was and would do anything he asked of him. He was well trained. But if someone else wanted to ride when Daddy was away, things went a little differently. Mainly if I wanted to ride Chip. It wasn't for a lack of trying. I made many attempts. All were fails. 

My nephew Randy and I tried to ride Chip around the farm yard and got bucked off in the field north of the house. Chip went running back to the barn. Another time I decided I was going to ride Chip two miles to the neighbors farm. They rode their horses down to our place and I followed them home. Chip was okay following the other horses, not good but okay. Once I headed home by myself it was a different story.

First he didn't want to leave the other horses, then he started to get anxious to get home. I rode down the gravel road for about half a mile then Chip decided to take a short cut, through our corn field that led back to our farm yard. He didn't walk along the edge of the field. He took me down between rows of tall corn. I couldn't control Chip, he was flying as fast as he could while the corn stalks and leaves slapped my bare legs. I held on with all I had. Chip raced all the way back to the barn. I think that was the last time I tried to ride Chip.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong," (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV).

God's grace is sufficient for us all. May you be blessed by His loving grace today.