Treasures

As the summer tries to get a little less hectic in the next week I want to have a weekly post called Treasures about a treasure I've found that week.  My creativity may branch out and rename this at some point but for now it's calling a spade a spade for me!

This last week's treasure was a bad thing.  In fact learning that a bad thing like that could be a treasure was really where the treasure was.  But I'm confusing you.

So on Tuesday I had a meeting with the professor of an independent study class I'm taking right now and he went over some assignments with me with their problems, some problems I could not possibly have known about without this long overdue feedback.  Regardless of that fact I left feeling very depressed because I felt like I was really failing at the class.  The class is a pretty core part of my major in some ways and yet I've felt from start to finish like I just couldn't do anything right.  Don't get me wrong, grades wise I think I'm fine (I haven't actually heard) but I don't enjoy doing it because its hard and it takes me hours on the computer, often, to accomplish the littlest task it seems like.  So its discouraged me because I thought this might be an important part of what God is wanting me to do with my life, and it doesn't look like I was right about that, and I just don't handle defeat, or changed plans, easily.  

Enter horseback riding.

I got home freaking out because of the huge final assignment my professor laid on me that terrified me in its enormity and relative difficulty compared to what I've been doing, and just feeling generally like I needed to spend every waking moment (and some sleeping, ha!) working on this for the next week (stuff will be due on Wednesday and Thursday next).  But we had to go horseback riding.  Members at our church are very graciously giving me and my friend who is living with us this week horseback riding lessons this summer.  It has been so much fun, but in the face of my attitude on Tuesday, I didn't feel real great about going last week.

and it seemed like everything went wrong there too!  I rode Bubba who is 17 hands tall and incredibly intimidating and I was just shaking, something didn't feel right in the saddle.  Bubba is pretty stubborn and difficult sometimes and he as in fine form Tuesday night.  Finally our friend and teacher saw what was going wrong and explained what I needed to change in how I was handling the reins and my spurs and suddenly something click.  He knew because the look of satisfaction and approval I got when I finally got Bubba to go over the wood bridge (one of the most terrifying exercises to me even though the bridge only spans level ground!) said it all.  I did it, I succeeded.  And after that I really had the tools I needed to control Bubba.  Our teacher pointed out that riding Bubba really makes you a more skilled horseman, because he is so difficult it teaches you a lot, and riding any other horse is easy in comparison.  I left feeling jubilant and like God had just sent along some much needed success to my wounded ego.  That's all I thought it was, until the next morning that is.

Wednesday morning is when I read this:

"We can rejoice, too, in when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment.  For we know o dearly God loves us because he has give us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." Romans 5: 3-5 (NLT)

Wow!!!!

This is forever proof that God knows what I need each morning because if I ever needed to be convinced that God was working in the doldrums and the storms of my summer, this was the proof I needed.  This means that I can be thankful for riding Bubba because he makes me a better rider, producing endurance and strength of character to hang on and push till I get it and feel more comfortable in the saddle and out of it as I take on and off bridle and halter and saddle etc., and the confident hope of becoming a good rider some day.  And I can be thankful for this class because if I can hang on through it, and learn to manage my time well and not give up when I feel defeated with a hard assignment, I have a greatly strengthened character, and with that comes the confident hope that next time this happens, I'm prepared because I have God at my side and the character He has carefully whittled and honed during this time of frustration and difficulty.  

So that is my treasure this week, endurance, strength of character, confident hope, and Bubba.

p.s. I highly recommend Romans for reading through, it's amazing!