There are several things that I have always wanted, and one of them is to have a horse. I have looked up horses for sale and have even sent pictures of them to the horse woman of our family: my daughter Mendy.

The other day as I looked up horses for sale, I came across two terms that I wasn't familiar with, and I had to look them up. One was "barn sour" and the other was "buddy sour". I had an idea that these were probably not good things when it came to horses. A barn sour horse gets so attached to the barn that he doesn't want to leave, and if given a chance, he will bolt back to the barn. A buddy sour horse doesn't want to leave his buddy, whether it be another horse or some other kind of stable mate. Mendy told me that El Roi, her horse, had to be separated from his buddy, Ruby Lulu, a miniature donkey, for just a short time. Mendy said that it was hard to pull El Roi away from his buddy because he kept turning back as Ruby cried out for him to come back.

That made me realize that I am a worry sour person. Worries, though not pleasant, can become a way of life, sort of like a buddy to us. At times, I lose sleep and much of my joy by worrying. With much prayer and the knowledge that worry accomplishes nothing, I will finally lay my worries at the feet of Jesus. The burden that I carried is lightened, and I can at last sleep in peace as I hand everything over to Him. Wow, wouldn't you think that I would leave it there? Not always! Just as the horse heads back to the barn or to his buddy, I see my worries from afar, and they bid me to come back, so I head to them. I have said jokingly that if I didn't have something to worry about, I would find something. That makes me worry sour. The Bible talks a lot about worry and anxiety and trusting God during those times. It reminds us to tell God about our concerns and leave them there in His good hands.

Philippians 4:6 – Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (HCSB)

I don't know if my dream of having a horse will ever come true, but I do know that just as being barn sour or buddy sour is not good for horses, being worry sour is not good for us. Let's leave our worries with the Lord and He will lead us to green pastures to feast on His Word. Trust Him and don't worry!

Prayer: Lord, we know that we do not need to keep running back to our worries, anxieties, or fears. Help us to lay them at the feet of Jesus. Amen.

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About the author:

Jeanie Nihiser <jnihiserj@gmail.com>
Geneseo, New York, USA
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