The best compliment, and mission, I ever received!!
On a horseback ride with my youngest son recently, he encountered that moment all people crossing the bridge from “being a passenger on a horse”, to “being a rider” encounter, sooner or later.
He was kicking, and growing quite agitated, that his horse simply would not take another step. Yes yes, I told him the regular things, “put your hand down, your asking him to stop”, “use your heels, not your bouncey calves”, move your hips like you actually intend to go forward “, “look where you want to go, not at his neck”, yada yada yada....
The problem was more than these small mistakes all children make, and most horses kindly ignore. The problem was, my son lacked confidence. Not in his horse, he trusts that beast to carry him anywhere. He didn’t believe in himself.
I told him all about how a horse needs a leader. A horse doesn’t like to be alone. A horse requires his rider to be the almighty protector. The horse is physically capable of conquering any feat, if his rider tells him he can. I told him about the horses used during war who took ammunition to the men in battle fields.
I told my son, “imagine the world has become one giant battle field. I mean it has just gone to pot. Who is the one person in this entire world that you would follow ANYWHERE? The one person you believe can bring you through ANYTHING?”
I was preparing to say, “That’s who you have to be for your horse,” when my heart was stolen from out of my chest.
“You,” he replied.