Servant Leadership

I have a couple, actually three, new two year olds to get started under saddle. They simply amaze me. They're wild eyed, skittish and everything is new to them. People, brushes, feedsacks (whoa, now we're just getting carried away). Burning with anticipation for what's coming next, they can't decide to run or stop, go right or left. The confident ones will stand with head slightly bowed and off to one side while they rock like a newly diagnosed parkinson's patient. The scared ones just travel out. Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving. The dense ones don't even know I'm standing in the round pen.

While teaching these guys to catch up this morning, I wondered if it's the same with people. The fact that these horses are so different, but with the same concepts, not actions but concepts, you can bring them all to the same place. Then I went to the church-house.

It was awesome. Guess what today's reading covered? Servant Leadership.

That's it. My morning contemplation had come full circle. You can make a horse do anything. But the guys who are winning at high level competitions ask their horses to do things. Teaching horses and then asking them to do what you have prepared them to do is a sure way to success. Personally, I am not a people person. I have always relished seclusion. However, in the last year or so, I have realized that it's because my ways with horses were almost exactly opposite of my ways with people. Recently, I have decided to be more social. To be inviting. To be a servant.

Ronald Reagan once said, "It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit."

Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "...whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant."

And so it is that through service we become great. Do you let your pride get in the way? With horses, pride will get you hurt. Sometimes seriously hurt. I know, because I've been there. It's the same with people. Who are you serving?