Jimmy and the Horse Called “Runaway Heart”

Jimmy loved horses. He volunteered at a farm where children rode horses for therapy. His job was to walk beside the horse and help kids stay safe in the saddle.

One sunny afternoon, Jimmy walked beside a tall brown horse named Runaway Heart. A small boy sat in the saddle, smiling and holding the reins.

Everything seemed peaceful.

Then—BOOM! A bird flapped out of a bush. Runaway Heart jumped. The boy slipped to the side.

Jimmy reached up, grabbed the boy, and pulled him off just before Runaway Heart bucked again.

They both landed in the grass.

The horse calmed down. The boy smiled again. Jimmy smiled too, though his heart beat fast.

That night, Jimmy thought about what had happened. Horses can be gentle, but even gentle horses can get scared and run wild. That’s why they wear saddles and reins—to guide them.

Jimmy opened his Bible and read a verse:

The heart is deceitful above all things… I the LORD search the heart, I test the…  (Jeremiah 17:9–10). Reins? Jimmy wondered.

He sat back and whispered, “My heart is a lot like that horse.”

Sometimes Jimmy wanted his own way. Sometimes he made the wrong choices. His heart could feel wild, too.

“But God has reins,” Jimmy said. “He knows when to pull me back or let me run.”

Jimmy prayed, “God, take the reins. Guide me. Keep me on your path and away from danger.”

And from that day on, whenever Jimmy saw a horse, he remembered: his heart had a rider—One who held tight to the reins.

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Retired or Retread? – Make the most of your life! Jim Reeverts is a former U.S. National Park guide and the author of Jordan Pond, Mount Desert Island, Maine.