“God is love.” — 1 John 4:8
Let’s start there, not as a cliché, but as a foundation. Because if we don’t deeply understand that God is love, not just loving, not just capable of love, but Love itself, then everything else gets blurry. Especially when life is heavy or our horse seems distant or disconnected. Especially when we feel that way, too.
So here’s the question: How have you experienced God lately? Have you felt peace, gentleness, presence… or pressure, guilt, striving?
If it’s been anything other than love…That wasn’t Him. Maybe it was religion. Perhaps it was someone else’s filter. But it wasn’t the God who calls Himself Love.
We’ve Settled for a Shallow Definition
The world often defines love as an emotion, something fleeting or felt in passing. But real love, the kind that changes us, is so much more.
“Love is patient, love is kind… it does not envy, it does not boast… it keeps no record of wrongs…” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
This kind of love isn’t reactive. It’s not circumstantial. It’s a posture. A presence. A way of being.
There are days when I walk out to the pasture and I don’t feel loving. I feel rushed. Frustrated. Behind. I’ve had a long day. My horse resists haltering. My mind races with things left undone. And I forget… love isn’t something I feel into. It’s something I return to.
Love is a daily choice to lay down striving and come back to presence. Come back to kindness. Come back to the now.
The Horse as Mirror and Invitation
Our horses don’t respond to how much we know. They respond to how we are.
We could have years of training, expensive tack, or a well-rehearsed plan, but if we show up bracing, controlling, or emotionally closed off…they feel it.
They wait for the real us. And so does God.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
Stillness is not inactivity. Its availability.
Your horse is not asking for perfection. God isn’t either.
They both want you, honest and present.
Performance vs. Presence
So often, we tie our value to how well we’re doing.
With horses: Did my horse respond to me today? Did I do it right?
With God: Did I pray enough? Did I hear Him correctly?
But real connection, both divine and equine, has never been about performance. It’s about presence.
It’s about slowing down enough to notice when we’ve drifted from love and choosing to return.
There will be days you lose patience. Moments you raise your voice. Seasons where God feels far and your horse feels like a mystery.
That doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It just means it’s time to return.
Return to stillness. Return to softness. Return to love.
Like any rhythm, it becomes easier the more we practice.
A Moment of Stillness with Your Horse
Today, instead of training, try just being. Go to your horse without an agenda. Leave the halter. Leave the expectation. Bring your breath and your heart.
Ask yourself:
Where am I striving in this relationship?
What am I trying to prove instead of simply offer?
What would it look like to walk in love here?
Let your horse respond to the version of you who isn’t performing. Just present. Just listening.
A Moment of Stillness with God
Set down the checklist. The questions. The pressure to “get it right.”
Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Seek the presence of God, not far off, not evaluating, just present. With you. Loving you. Welcoming you home to love.
Ask:
Where have I confused performance with presence?
What do I need to release to return to love?
How is God inviting me to soften today?
Let the stillness hold you. Let love become your home again.
A Prayer to Return
Father, You are love, not just something I learn about, but someone I can encounter. Thank You for never demanding performance, just presence. Forgive me for the moments I drift, for the ways I tighten and strive. Help me return. To You. To love. To who I really am.
Teach me to walk in love, not just in comfort, but in discomfort. Not just in easy moments, but in messy ones. Let my time with my horse be a practice ground for Your Spirit. Gentle, strong, steady, and true.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.