A lesson in trust during winds of adversity

The March winds roared like the proverbial lion, but that’s how it is in eastern New Mexico. My husband had gone to Oklahoma to help our middle son build a barn. It became my job to feed Lady, a beautiful sorrel mare that seemed more like a person than a horse.

Twice a day I fed Lady. I loved hearing her neigh to me in her loving way as she nuzzled my shirt with her velvety soft nose. She loved the early morning feedings at the break of day. So did I. The quiet and stillness soothed both of us. About mid-morning, the wind started its frolic. Gathering momentum it rattled, whizzed and sent tumbleweeds to Texas!

Lady’s feedings in the late afternoon did not go as smoothly. One particular evening, the fierce wind became violent. The tin roof over the barn that housed Lady’s feeding trough began to shake and rattle. One piece of the tin flapped up and down and sounded like crashing symbols. Along with this came the swirling dust that only added to Lady’s anxiety.

Lady came galloping up eager to eat when I called, but she wouldn’t get anywhere close to her trough. She stood several feet away, calling to me with her whinnies. “I’m too scared,” I could sense her feeling. “But I’m hungry too,” she seemed to say.

I felt so sorry for her. The banging and clanging of the wind against the barn terrified her. Her eyes never left mine as she neighed pitifully, standing her ground in the midst of the storm.

“Come on Lady,” I coaxed as I tried to tempt her by pouring her feed into her trough. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. I’m here and I will take care of you.”

Something clicked inside of me. How many times have I acted just like Lady? How many times have I stood in the midst of the howling storms of life, allowing the “winds of adversity” to blow me around. Many times I, like Lady, had been caught out in the “elements of life” afraid and anxious, when nourishment for my soul and shelter from the storm was just a prayer away.

“Come Lady, trust me. It’s all right. You can trust me. Haven’t we always taken care of you? I will keep you from harm.”

At that moment, in my heart, my divine master was saying the same thing to me. “Haven’t I always taken care of you? I will be with you in the winds of adversity.”

A lack of trust in God removes peace and joy in my life. My faith wanes. Depression and frustration disturbs me, but in God’s word I found five steps that guide me along life’s journey:

1. Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own undestanding.”

2. Psalm 37:4: “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

3. Psalm 37:5: “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”

4. Psalm 37:7: “Rest in the LORD…”

5. Psalm 37:7: “…wait patiently for him…”

Lady, very haltingly at first, with one cautious step at a time, came to me. She put her trust in me, even in the storm. That trust led her to food, shelter and safety.

An anonymous writer has said, “Triumph is God’s ‘umph’ added to try.’”

In the midst of trouble and trials I must get my mind off everything and everyone around me and see every situation with faith in my heart. Lady taught me that.

I put my arms around her beautiful neck and thanked her for the lesson.

If Lady can trust her master, so can I trust mine.

Portales resident Joan Clayton is a retired teacher and published author. Her e-mail address is:

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