Who Holds the Reins?

A horse gallops wildly through the deep dark woods. On its back rides a terrified girl, her small, weak hands clinging to the reins draped about her horses neck. Her dress is torn and dirty and her unraveled braids fly out behind her in a tangled and wind tossed mess. The trail, full of potholes, rocks and fallen logs, snakes its way through an ominously dark and dreary forest. Dark, sinister trees threaten to grab her and pull her off of her horse. At every bump in the trail, the girl bounces, nearly losing her grip. Her knuckles whiten as she tightens her grip on the reins. She looks down at the blur of rocks and logs racing beneath her and imagines with terror what would happen if she lost her grip.

Behind her sits a Man, His face a picture of tender kindness and pity. He longs to help the girl who clings so desperately to the horses reins. The girl’s eyes, full of fear and blinded by tears, look imploringly at the One riding behind her.

“Little girl,” He says, His eyes so full of love. “If you will only give Me the reins, I will lead you to safety.” The girl, looks down at her hands, still clutching tightly to the reins. Will she trust Him? Will she surrender the reins?

She looks ahead into the deep and foreboding forest. She feels the wind blowing through her tangled locks, and she looks again to her small hands, still clutching tightly to the reins.

What if He guides me and my horse somewhere I don’t want to go? She looks back into the eyes of the Man, so full of compassion and tenderness.

Should I trust Him? Then slowly, she unfolds her small, weak hands, and places the reins in His big, strong hands.

This girl is me and her horse is my life. Will you join me as I surrender the reins of my life to God?

-Hannah