The Master Trainer

Weekend Read   Sunday April 1 2012

Trust The Trainer:

            My Father talks about how he used to “break” horses. Many unique tasks were performed in order to have a well trained, useful horse. The horse was a very important commodity to running the farm. It meant transportation and therefore a lifeline, it was used to plow the land, plant the crops and harvest them.  It was used to round up the cattle and control them.  Without a good horse, the farm was considered unfinished or incomplete.  So a well trained, obedient horse was a definite necessity to a farm.

 

For some horses the training period was long while others learned quickly and easily.  Some had a stubborn nature and needed the same lessons and consequences time after time again and again.  Others seemed to have a giving, kind spirit that submitted easily to the authority of the trainer.  If the wrong person was used to train the horse it could become spoiled and useless.  If the trainer always used harsh discipline and tried to beat the lessons into the horse, the horse became fearful and “skittish” and could seldom be trusted to perform the “job.” Now the “job” consisted of the horse being able to do the tasks with very little direction from the trainer.  If the horse was allowed to get away with disobedience and “doing it’s own thing”, the result was the same, it was spoiled and could not be trusted.

So much of what the horse became was due to the master trainer.  A horse that could be trusted and was obedient with a willing nature, turned out to be a valuable asset, while one that was less then that, was considered near worthless.  I remember a beautiful silky black team of Percherons that were lively and spirited.  When my Dad was controlling the reigns, they knew exactly what they needed to do and followed all the instructions perfectly.  When my brother was driving they often did and went where they wanted to.  They knew he wasn’t the Master!

My question is:

Who is your master?  Are you following Him? 

Are you attuned to His words and commands? 

Do you know His voice? His signals? His ways? 

Are you giving in to His direction or are you still following your own way?

Are you valuable or do you harbour a rebellious nature?

Are you listening to the Master or are you following someone who professes to be a master but you are not really sure who it is?

Luke 16:13. “No one can serve two masters.  For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. (You cannot serve both God and money.”)