Horses and children, I often think, have a lot of the good sense there is in the world.
~ Josephine Demott Robinson
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
~ Ephesians 2:7-10
Josephine Demott Robinson was a circus performer from West Hempstead, New York. She was, at the time, (late 1800’s) the only woman in the world to perform multiple somersault flips on a moving bareback horse. When I saw the quote above, I had to find out what prompted this circus woman of renown to make that statement. She rode horses almost all of her life, and even at the age of 67 performed on horseback for Barnum and Bailey Circus. She never had children of her own, but adopted a twelve year old girl when a circus colleague died unexpectedly.
Her time in the circus gave her experience with children and horses. She also ran a riding school, a sanitarium, a school of deportment for young ladies. She was a strong champion of women’s rights. What a story! However, that is not where I am headed today. Josephine lived a full life, experienced much adventure, took a lot of risks and succeeded at most everything to which she put her mind and heart and hand.
Riding bareback and doing standing tricks as a child is a whole other experience than doing those same things at 67. I am sure that Josie’s knowledge of horses and her faith in both of their abilities kept her stable and righted.
How much more might we be stable, righted, comforted in the knowledge that we are loved in our foolishness and our shining moments because we serve a God who always has our back, who goes before us, who requires only that we trust, obey and keep riding toward that goal.
We are given unmerited favor because of Jesus. Today, walk, ride, live in that grace. Look for it as you move through the ring of this day, and those days to come.
Because of Him,
Linda
Because of Him 