Giving God the Glory in Wins and Losses
Isaiah 12:4-5
And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.”
We as riders love to win, be recognized, honored, congratulated, praised, and validated. However, I have realized that the most important aspect of competition is that God is given the glory consistently in every ride, whether I finish in the ribbons or not. This is an attitude that has been instilled in me from my family who has taught me to love Jesus and family first -- and then riding.
As we all know, horse shows can be hectic and nerve racking but my mom has made sure to teach me to stop and find time for us to pray together before each ride and she has encouraged me to be specific in my prayers, asking God for what I need. During my first horse trial with Zebo, my mom handed me her blessed guardian angel medal to stuff in the pocket of my breeches during my ride. This has now became our routine for each show and the Pine Top Horse Trial was no different.
Our weekend at Pine Top was cold, wet, and muddy and I went with the hope of getting my qualifying score for AEC’s. My dressage test wasn’t my best and I came out of the ring and had a total meltdown. As I was tacking up for my stadium jump round, my mom reminded me to “give it to God, put a smile on my face and have fun!” I went out and did just that and jumped clear in stadium.
As my cross country ride time neared, the sky opened up and the rain poured down as I sat in the car with my family waiting to tack up. As a family, we prayed that God would keep me and Zebo safe, that I would have no refusals or time faults, and that I would finish with a qualifying score for AEC’s. Mind you, I was currently in third place. Once again, my mom pulled out the blessed medal and I stuffed it deep in my pocket as I headed out to the start box with my dad and trainer. As I was waiting my turn to run cross country, I watched as my competitors had refusals and falls and trusted that God would see me through the course and bless me with a qualifying score. Galloping the cross country course was exhilarating! As the rain crashed against my face, we found our way through to go clear!
Without my faith, I wouldn't have been able to ride successfully and pull off a first place win. There are so many ups and downs in eventing but the only thing that stays constant and true is the Lord and that He's going to be there for you. Pine Top and every success or win that I've had is not really about me. It's all to bring glory and honor to God -- whether I win or come in last. So, remember to set your goals but be content in waiting to see what God has in store for you in the future.
