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Horses In Heaven
by
Josprel
It was the Sunday after Christmas. The morning service had ended, and
our threesome was sitting in a restaurant. Acting as hostess on behalf
of a local church was a senior pastor's wife. Until her husband, one of
our former district officials, was promoted into the Presence of the
Lord several years ago, she had pastored with him in another town. Now
this assembly was utilizing her talents, and she assisted wherever
needed.
This was the last Sunday of my three months tenure as the church's
interim pastor; the new pastor would be arriving with the New Year. At the
board's request, our hostess had taken my wife, Maria, and me to
dinner.
The food was excellent; the service was courteous and efficient. At the
meal's conclusion, the hostess handed the waitress a church check,
adding a generous tip to the amount of the bill. We were engaged in
conversation over coffee when the waitress again approached, lingering as
though reluctant to leave. We complimented her on her service and she
immediately engaged us in conversation.
She was only a part-time waitress, she informed us. For some thirty
years, her main vocation was training racehorses. We listened attentively
as she recounted her experiences. Amiably, she told of a special race
one of her horses had won, described foaling procedures, the patience
required to make a horse profitable, and the terrible sense of loss felt
when an animal had to be put down. It all was very interesting; it was
apparent the woman knew and loved horses.
During her account, I could sense my companions praying with me for an
opening to witness her. The waitress knew we were affiliated with a
church; the church name on the check was visibly noticeable. Obviously,
she had not randomly selected us for conversation. She was interested in
more than horses. But, I wondered, how could we make a transition from
horses to Christ?
Finally, deciding to risk sounding flippant, I yielded to an urge to
ask if she knew there were horses in heaven. Jesus would be returning to
earth riding a white horse, I added. His armies would be with Him, also
mounted on horses.
She hoped it would be soon; no one else had the solution to earth's
problems. When asked if she was ready for Christ's return, she hesitated.
She sometimes attended services with her fiancée at the local veteran's
hospital, she informed us.
Tactfully, our threesome led the conversation into God's plan of
salvation, recounting to her the story of Jesus and Nicodemus. We followed
this with the story of the Philippian jailer. As we spoke, her features
visibly softened and her eyes grew moist; the Gospel had touched her.
Without hesitation, she permitted us to pray with her. In full view of
other diners and her coworkers, without evident embarrassment, she
joined hands with us and bowed her head. The enveloping presence of the
Holy Spirit was gentle as our hostess prayed, asking the Lord to reveal
Himself to the horse trainer and redeem her.
Invited to visit the church, the woman seemed receptive, mentioning
that she had watched with interest the erection of the church’s new
sanctuary. She owned a Bible and, after promising to read the Gospel of John
and the book of Acts, she returned to her duties.
THERE ARE HORSES IN HEAVEN! What a childlike statement. In our quest
for profundity, we tend to relegate such simple themes to the realm of
allegory. We feel foolish conferring on them a serious voice. But, with
infinite unpretentiousness, God anoints simplicity to seed His Word in
receptive hearts. Heaven's horses opened a wedge for the Gospel,
focusing a horse trainer's attention on Christ, the greatest Equestrian of
all! -30-
© Josprel (Joseph Perrello)
josprel@verizon.net
About the Author:
Many of Josprel's articles appear online and in print. His
story “Horses in Heaven” first was published by his denomination’s
official magazine, and later reprinted by others denominations, and home
missionaries to the racetrack industry. He is the author of two novels
in progress, "Beloved Apostate" and "Kanfal."
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