Hold on to Jesus

HOLD ON TO JESUS

BY FAITH STORCK

Life is a lot like a rodeo. You hold on for dear life and just hope you make it out alive and don’t fall off the saddle.

If you know anything about my daughter, you know that she loves horses. Her love of horses came from a very young age. I’m not sure I can adequately describe her love for this animal, but to give you a little insight....when she was four years old, she decided she wanted her hair to be like a horses and gave herself a little trim.

Thankfully, as a fourteen-year-old she doesn’t feel the need to have hair like horses, but she still loves them. I often wondered what Lauren would be like as a teenager, but I never thought it would involve large animals. It’s through her love of horses that she has discovered rodeos. We had the opportunity to talk to one of the veterinarians that works at the Houston Rodeo. She told us about a guy that had just come back to compete in the rodeo after having major surgery due to a rodeo injury. In my mind I’m thinking “this guy is all kinds of nuts. Who in their right mind would subject themselves to that kind of torture and pain hoping he could stay on the bull to win some money? What is it exactly that cause men to hold on for dear life just to make it to the bell? Why would you want to be slung with drool from these huge animals? Why would you want to be the target of their “affection” after you’ve been thrown off?” Cause if I’m being honest, the thought of being thrown from a bull doesn’t exactly scream a good time for me.

What I have discovered watching these rodeos is that it takes real strength to get back up when you’ve been thrown off balance. Not just physical, but true inner strength. I’ve seen the compassion of people towards their fellow man. In a world of ugliness, I see that there is still good in people when someone is hurting. When a guy has just been catapulted off a bull and the bull has set his sights on the man on the ground and then sends him flying through the air, I hear the collective gasps of concern of those around him. I’ve seen the riders look for the positive in their competition. They might have been thrown off, but at least they had their feet in the proper position while they were on the bull. I’ve seen the competitors cheer each other on. I’ve realized that the thrill of the ride, is also worth what pain they could encounter if they are thrown off the bull.

LIFE IS A LOT LIKE A RODEO. YOU HOLD ON FOR DEAR LIFE AND JUST HOPE YOU MAKE IT OUT ALIVE AND DON’T FALL OFF THE SADDLE. Every moment of every day is another ride. Some days are awful, some fantastic, some scary, some exhilarating. Each and every day is another chance that we have to make a difference in our life and in the lives of others. Each bump and twist along this road of life is a learning experience. Some of these learning experiences are for us to learn something, but some of them are for us to invest what we’ve learned into the lives of others. In Matthew 20, there is an account of two blind men begging for their sight to be healed. The crowd around them tried to quiet the blind men, but Jesus stopped. Jesus was busy doing ministry, but he stopped. He made time for these two men.

During our life, we should HOLD ON TO JESUS FOR DEAR LIFE. He is the ONE who makes life bearable when thingsare falling apart. We live in a fast-paced world. There are so many distractions