There once was a stately horse that ran
wild and free. His name was Runner. All areas were his to romp and roam and he explored
all that he could see. He was master of
his destiny and no one ruled him. He ran
like the wind from hill to valley to boast his importance to the world. He was always ready to challenge anyone to
see who was fastest or who could jump the highest. He was the leader and he made certain that
the world knew this.
He loved to stand at a distance and mock
the horses in the corral in the Valley of Dreams. The Valley of Dreams was a splendid valley
where a magnificent river flowed and the ground had an abundance of grass to
graze. Everyone liked to go to the
Valley of Dreams because there was enough water and grazing land for everyone
in the world. There was a barn, farm
house and a large corral in the Valley of Dreams.
At this farm there was a wonderful man
called the Owner. The Owner would take
in any horse that came to him. No matter
what they did before or what they looked like he loved and cared for them. Runner knew he needed no one to care for him. Runner thought all the horses in the care of
the Owner were idiots.
The barn was superb but the fence where
they lived was not complete. A whole
section was missing but not one of them had ever tried to leave. Runner thought that only a bunch of morons
would willingly stay cooped up when they could easily leave and run free. He would mock them saying, “What is the matter
with you guys? Don’t you know that real
life is out here? Can’t you find the door?”
Some of the horses would give him looks of contempt. Others would ignore him or simply shake their
heads and go about their business.
Time wore on and he noticed restlessness
deep in his soul. No matter where he
went or what he did his heartache still found him. He no longer took comfort in proving he was
the best or the fastest. He began to
wish for something else out of life but he couldn’t think of what it could
be.
His coat was worn and shabby and his mane
was knotted. He was caked with mud from
head to hoof. He began to notice his way
of life was exacting a toll. He no
longer taunted the corralled horses but began to study them to see what it was
that made them so peaceful. He noticed
how their master cared for them. Their
coats were always brushed and shiny.
Their bodies testified of the abundance of feed and water they had. He mused
to himself they didn’t have a care in the world. “What am I missing?” he wondered.
Day after day Runner would make path a
little closer to the corral. Each day he
took note of the magnificent stable and the peacefulness of the horses. One day the Owner saw Runner and waved and
asked him to come and stay. At this
Runner ran away as fast as he could.
Once he was out of the man’s sight he stopped. He then wondered why he ran away like he was
scared. “What is happening to me? I used to be brave and strong but now I run
away from a man that is trying to be nice.”
There was one white horse with dark eyes
that always seemed nice. He would smile
at Runner whenever he was near the corral.
By eavesdropping Runner found out the white horse’s name was
Saint. Saint was one of the
leaders. Everyone looked up to him. Gladness radiated from him. He had a kind spirit and genuinely cared for
everyone.
One day Runner listened as Saint gathered
the other horses together and asked them to tell what the Owner had done for
them. One by one they began to
speak. Runner was astonished at what he
heard. The man who waved to him was the
Owner. The Owner was indeed a wonderful
man. Runner heard story after story of
changed lives, better relationships, added meaning to their lives. Runner’s heart burned inside him. “Oh, if I could feel like that. I wish had meaning in my life.”
No comments:
Post a Comment