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The Heart and a Willing Mind

There's been a new show on PBS recently called "Equus: The Story of the Horse". In it, the host takes us through the history of the Horse in many different cultures and locations. One of which was a visit to a "Horse Whisperer" fellow, who specializes in breaking and training horses. He describes his method as less about breaking the horse's spirit, and more about making a connection with the horse's mind. It's a much gentler method, that helps the horse get to the point that it chooses to do the thing it is being asked to do, because of its connection with the trainer.

This got me to thinking about the concept of "having a broken heart and a contrite spirit". I guess previously, I'd thought of this concept mostly as the breaking of a spirit. Say if you're watching an old movie western, and the cowboys jump on the back of the horse, and ride it until gives in and just stops bucking. But this comment had me thinking about it differently. It had me thinking about a gentler method, where the Lord seeks to make a loving connection with us, and seeks to persuade us to choose His will, rather than our own. Not because we just give up, but because we love Him enough to choose Him. It's a riskier method because it relies on our moral agency. But it's also a better method because it's done out of love for us. It's something I'm trying to get better at every day.

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