Seeing Through The Eyes Of Love
Iris, our fourth and youngest daughter has a depth to her that cannot be described in mere words. She is deeply compassionate, incredibly caring, and loves unconditionally. She is without a doubt one of the fairest individuals I have ever met, as she teaches us to be humble. She loves people well for one so young, and she has this way of leaving people better than she found them. That is why it was such a surprise for us, as her parents, to find out that she was dealing with unresolved anxiety and fear.
The great love that Iris carries inside her, extends itself to animals as well, and horses are one of her favorite species! She loves everything about them! Their eyes, their smell, their compassion, and their quiet confidence. She especially loves to ride them, but it wasn’t until she met Sara, a very special horse at Unbridled, that Iris learned to work through her carefully concealed fear and anxiety. Trust, would be one of the first things Sara would teach Iris.
If you have never had the occasion to visit Unbridled it is located at the foot of the Coburg Hills in Harrisburg, Oregon and is a beautiful, sprawling nearly 600-acre ranch where rescue horses, and kids from all walks of life, lean on each other for trust, hope, confidence, and love. It is a Similar Ministry to Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Central Oregon, and the only Similar Ministry planted West of the Cascades, in the Willamette Valley! This fact makes us realize just how incredibly blessed we are to have found Unbridled and have our girls join their phenomenal horse programs. Several great horses call Unbridled home, but there is one that holds a ‘unique’ place in the heart of many, including Iris, and that horse is Sara.
Sara is a beautiful animal. She too has a depth to her which cannot be easily defined. She has large, soft eyes and a gentle, calming spirit which immediately puts others at ease. Sara has lived a lot of life in her 25 plus years including being a police horse! The first time Iris met Sara face to face, Sara took the lead and gently nudged Iris on the head with her nose quietly smelling Iris’s scent and then she respectfully waited for Iris’s response. Sara is very patient and kind and in this instance, her patience paid off as we watched the two of them together. We saw that her touch, the softness of it that spoke to Iris’s heart…said, “Come ride with me. I am safe.” Just like our Jesus whispers softly to someone who may be hurting…”Come to me. I am safe.”
Iris is an accomplished rider, but strong anxiety was getting the best of her, and that gentle touch and warm horsey breath in her hair were just what she needed to kickstart trust in the saddle again. As I watched this new relationship unfold, I saw a hint of confidence start to shine out of Iris’s eyes! I have witnessed similar responses while praying for others and then ‘seeing’ them grasp onto the HOPE our Savior offers them as they walk into a new relationship with Him.
For an entire season, Iris had the opportunity to learn from Sara and her diligent teaching style. Iris also had to learn that Sara was completely dependent upon Iris as well. You see, Sara taught Iris with the eyes of her heart. She had to trust Iris to guide her and make decisions that would keep them both safe because while they are large and lovely, Sara could not use her eyes to help Iris. She could only offer her great intelligence, life experience, and her very giving heart.
Sara couldn’t use her eyes to help Iris…because Sara is completely blind!
It took a blind horse to make our girl feel safe! How amazing is that?! It was so beautiful to watch the two of them together and to see just how serious Iris took her job of ‘being Sara’s eyes’. Sara gave Iris a gift that no other horse could when she taught Iris to ‘see’ through the eyes of love. In the same way, Jesus teaches us to ‘see’ through HIS eyes of love.
Since that season, Iris, with the help of our precious Jesus and a very special horse named, Sara, has regained her confidence in a BIG way and has moved on to riding a sighted horse again. One who she had the great honor of naming, Guardian, while Sara with her incredibly benevolent nature, continues to happily teach other children how to ‘see’ with their own eyes of love.
2 Kings 6:17 ESV
Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.”
authored by: Natalin Lawson