My children rodeo. My middle, Owen, has been calf roping for a few years now. He has been in some serious horse related accidents. People always ask me why I allow him to continue in rodeo. Especially now that he is riding bucking horses.
In Psalm 37, verses 3-6, God promises this:
“Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.”
I wouldn’t let Owen ride bucking horses until he turned 16 years old, had attended schools to learn how to be safe, and truly understand the possibilities of permanent injury.
He waited, did all I asked him, and still wanted to ride. He is now riding in high school rodeos and doing well. He is on the Priefert Jr Elite Rodeo Team. He is dedicated, practices every day (he has a lot of groundwork he can do), works out every day to stay healthy, and gets his schoolwork done.
If God has given him this desire, then who am I to stand in his way?
There are many male teenagers doing extremely risky and dangerous things. Owen just does those things in an arena with great men who can be life role models. Men who are looking out for him, coaching him, and cheering him on. That’s a win in my book.
As I’ve been reading through Exodus, this stuck out to me in chapter 21, verses 12-13:
“Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate.”
Accidents happen, but not without God’s permission. We can’t understand those things, but neither can we control them. We must live life to the fullest, honoring God with the passions He has given each of us.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 – NLT
Fear will steal your joy.
Honoring God in all you do brings a rich and satisfying life.
We can’t control much of anything that happens in this life. We can only control our preparations for what we do and response to it.
In this house, we choose to trust God and live an abundant life.
Dr Vet Sonya 