I loved to ride horseback.
Bareback was my favourite way to go. Round and round the field adjacent to our
backyard I would ride, faster and faster. Often my dad would caution me, "One
day, you are going to fall off that horse and get hurt, young lady." But being
ten and pretty sure of myself, I would think, Never, not me!
One sunny afternoon in early spring, when the ground
was still wet from morning showers, I arrived home from school, threw my books
in the back porch, and headed for the horse barn quickly, so that no one would
catch me and stop me from riding on a slippery day.
The field looked pretty sloppy, but with my confident,
self-assured attitude, Susie and I were soon off to the races, riding as fast as
we could, jumping this, jumping that, round and round the field, totally
disobeying any rules pertaining to what not to do on wet field days.
Each time I went around the track, I noticed the earth
becoming more soggy. During what I had planned to be my last great jump, my
horse tumbled, and I was on the ground, remembering nothing until I looked up
and saw daddy bending over me.
I was scared to death and a bit shaky, but with daddy
there and with the touch of his hard-working but gentle hand, I felt safe and
secure. Daddy carried me to the barn, where he checked me over to see if there
were any breaks, cuts, or bruises. It was decided that I was as fit as a fiddle,
but there was no more riding that day!
Daddy was always a loving father, but after seeing the
fear on his face and the tears in his eyes that day, I realized just how deeply
daddy truly loved me. I felt a deeper and gentler bonding with daddy, and that
moment made me glad that I was his little girl and he was my dad.
Fast-forward three years to a fall Sunday night youth
rally and a challenging sermon that ended with an invitation to surrender our
lives to Christ and make Him our Saviour and Lord. I felt the strong tug of the
Holy Spirit beckoning me to obey this man of God, and that night, in humble
adoration, I met my Saviour, to whom I truly committed my life.
Immediately following prayer and commitment, I
experienced the same powerful bonding with my heavenly Father that I had felt
three years earlier with my dad. This time, I had received the gentle touch of
the Master's hand.
As I walked home down the hill that night, the words
from He Touched Me played over and over in my mind, and as young as I was, I
knew that the heavenly Father's hand had "touched me and made me whole". I was a
new person in Christ, and till this day, I never close my eyes at night without
taking time to thank God for His goodness in rescuing me at such an early age,
and being there to continually guide me and care for me through thick and thin.
Although there are those, for many reasons, who have
never felt the warm touch of an earthly father's hand, God is waiting in love
and compassion, ready to claim us as His child and provide us with the loving,
gentle, and safe touch of the Father's hand that will make us proud to call Him
"Father". Such a touch from our heavenly Father, whose love sent His only Son to
die on our behalf, is the most precious blessing anyone will ever receive, a
blessing that brings hope where there is despair, love where there is hate, joy
where there is sorrow, forgiveness where we think forgiveness is impossible,
healing where there is no hope for healing, and most importantly, the assurance
of the gift of everlasting life and a glorious eternity with Christ.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. (NKJV)
Prayer: Eternal God, it is You and You alone who
grants us the certainty of an eternity with You through the shed blood of Your
beloved Son. It is to You we must turn and say thank You for the gift of the
Holy Spirit, He who troubles our hearts, causing us to look into the beautiful
face of Your Son, claiming victory through His life, death, and resurrection. We
pray that those who love You will go forward under the guidance of Your strong
and powerful hand, proclaiming Your glorious message and directing others to a
victorious life in Christ. Amen.
Azalia Matheson
themathesons@bellaliant.net
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca
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