Monday, November 16, 2009

A Stunning Performance

Beautiful. Majestic. Powerful. Magnificent. Words used to describe the horse. Graceful and still one moment. Wild and full of motion the next. I’ve always been intrigued by horses and gained a new appreciation for this incredible animal this past weekend. We were privileged to attend a performance of Cavalia on Saturday.

Our program guide gave us a glimpse of how this amazing show came into being: “About 10 years ago, Normand Latourelle was working on a production in Quebec, and noticed the spectators’ fascination for horses. This is when the idea of creating a show in which horses could express themselves on stage in all their beauty, their nobleness, their agility and their power, was born.”


The interplay between trainer and horses, acrobats and trick riders, musicians and vocalist, left me with just one word to describe the show: Spectacular. One of my favorite acts involved the horse trainer and seven or eight Arabians together on the stage. Although she was definitely outnumbered, the trainer was certainly in control of the entire performance. I was truly impressed by the talented trainer and knew she was deserving of the applause that filled the arena.


It was fascinating to read about this breed of horse, “Renowned for his high intelligence, the Arabian is the oldest breed of saddle horse…It is difficult to win the Arabian’s trust, but once you have done so, he will do anything to please.” Obviously, the trainer had poured countless hours into getting to know and train these horses, and they had learned that she could be trusted and were willing to obey her every command. As they moved together, prancing this way and that, their fluid motion emphasized the fact that they were performing in harmony. What a beautiful picture!


As I thought back on the inspiring evening, I couldn’t help but draw a parallel. We have a Heavenly ‘Trainer’ who loves each one of us and is interested in gaining our trust so that we will obey His commands. Commands that will protect us and allow us to live productive lives. When each one of us obeys our Trainer, we find ourselves moving together in unity. Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (KJV)!


Where there is unity, the spotlight is taken off of the individual and placed on the Trainer. After all, unity is a pretty miraculous accomplishment. Only the Spirit of God could be responsible for a selfless attitude. Only He can produce an attitude like the one reflected in Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”


When we choose to submit to our Trainer, others take notice. We operate as the ‘body’ God created us to be: unified, without division. Are you willing to set aside ‘self’ in order to work with the ‘body’ to point others to our magnificent Trainer? Together, our stunning performance will cause others to look beyond us to the One who is truly worthy of all of our praise – the Lord Jesus Christ. Let this be your prayer today!

11 comments:

  1. I would love to see that show. It looks beautiful! What a great analogy. He has done the ultimate for us to put our faith in Him. We can trust Him; we just have to obey.

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  2. I've been thinking a lot about submission lately. Thanks for another glimpse of how we must submit to God and one another. Blessings to you!

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  3. Kristen - Hope you get a chance to see it! It's definitely worth it! Obedience is a life long lesson. One of these days our faith will be changed to sight! God bless!

    Dorothy - You too? Submission doesn't come naturally, does it? I'm glad we have the promise of God that when we submit to Him and those in authority over us, we walk under the wing of His protection! Have a blessed day!

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  4. Beautiful devotion, Maria! Your analogies are so inpsiring! Thank you!

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  5. Jody - Your encouragement means a lot to me! I appreciate your comments and insight. Have a beautiful day full of writing! :)

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  6. Maria - that was beautiful! You are always so inspiring and encouraging. Thank you.

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  7. Great analogy! Quite often we forget to work together and be willing to be trained by the great Trainer. A lesson to be relearned often.

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  8. Heather - Glad you found the post encouraging! God bless you as you write for His honor & glory! :)

    Terri - Welcome!! Thanks so much for stopping by! You're exactly right, I think half of our battle is being 'willing' to be trained!! Appreciate your comment! God bless!

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  9. Wow! I can just imagine how spectacular that show was... Very thought-provoking post, Maria. I'm always seeking to be more open to God's training and instructions, though I might fail in obeying sometimes. But he knows my heart.

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  10. Ellie - If you ever get a chance to see it, it's well worth it! Hearing God's word is the easy part, the challenging part is doing it!! God bless you as you follow Him! :)

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  11. What a wonderful analogy. I love horses and that was something to relate to. Thanks for sharing that. As a writer it has given me a lot to consider.

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