The Turn Toward Home

The old horse knew the turn toward home.

He had carried his rider past that stand of cottonwoods more times than either of them could count. Take the trail to the right, cross the shallow creek, and before long the barn would come into view.

He shifted his weight toward the turn.

A light touch on the reins asked him to keep going.

His ears turned back toward the saddle.

“Not yet, old friend.”

The horse stood a moment, then stepped forward.

They had been together for years. They had crossed unfamiliar country, waited out storms, and picked their way along trails where a careless step would have cost them both.

The cowboy had learned to trust the horse’s footing. The horse had learned the meaning of his rider’s hand.

At the end of a long day, the man loosened the saddle and saw to water and feed before sitting down to his own supper. Sometimes an apple appeared from a coat pocket. Sometimes a carrot.

The horse knew the sound of his boots approaching.

He would lift his head before the man reached the gate.

Their trust had grown through ordinary days, with each doing his part. Now, when the reins asked for a different direction, there was a history behind that small touch.

Still, the horse had been ready for the barn.

The cowboy leaned forward and rested a hand against his neck.

Farther down the fence line, a calf had worked its way into a tangle of wire. From the turn, the horse could not have seen it.

His rider had.

There was time to help before dark.

I understand that horse.

There are days when my thoughts turn toward home. I look forward to being with the Savior I have loved for so long.

But I am still here.

There are people to love, words to write, and needs I may not recognize until I am close enough to see them.

I want to remain responsive to Holy Spirit in those ordinary moments. Scripture speaks of God’s children being led by His Spirit. (Romans 8:14)

I am learning what that means in daily life.

Sometimes it means giving someone more time than I expected. Sometimes it means attending to something small when my mind was already on what came next.

I can be so sure I know the way that I begin making the turn before I have listened.

The old horse had something I want to cultivate: a willingness to respond, supported by years of care.

I can look back over my own life and remember reasons to trust God. I have brought Him fears, failures, and questions I could scarcely put into words. Through those years, my desire to know Him has deepened.

I still have much to learn.

But I want that history to matter when I encounter a direction I did not expect. Proverbs tells us to trust the Lord with all our heart, acknowledge Him in our ways, and allow Him to direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

The horse could feel the reins.

I need to listen, pray, and bring my understanding before God. I can mistake my own wishes for direction. Yet I can also become more attentive, more teachable, and more willing to follow as I come to know Him.

Paul understood both the desire to depart and be with Christ and the value of remaining to serve others. (Philippians 1:21–25)

That passage helps me express what is in my heart.

I look forward to home.

And I want to be useful along the way.

The horse and rider reached the barn later that evening. The cowboy brought water, lifted away the saddle, and brushed the dust from the old horse’s back.

Then he reached into his pocket.

There was still half an apple.

I think about the turn beneath the cottonwoods, and the small touch that asked for a little more of the journey.

Lord, keep me willing.

There may be someone farther down the road.