Four horses and a lost sheep

Small came home at lunch time today with several friends. They, like all eighteen year old boys were hungry, very hungry so they lounged around my kitchen as I made lunch. Not that their presence would make lunch cook any faster! They began to discuss their Religion Class this morning where they are learning about other faiths and had had a Buddhist from the local Buddhist Centre. Other than their feeling that he did not much like Christians and told them that Buddhism was a way of life rather than a religion they were intrigued with his story of the Four Horses and their response to a riding crop. In his version the

excellent horse sees the shadow of the riding crop and moves forward
good horse feels the crop on its hair and moves forward
average horse feels the crop on its skin and moves forward
and the
poor horse only moves forward when it feels the crop in its bones.

The boys all wanted to be the excellent horse, but decided that they were most likely were good or average. I thought that I was like them but in truth was more like the poor horse. And surprised myself by realising that Jesus came for the "poor horses" of this world.....judging by the stories He told. Stories of sheep that wandered off or coins that got lost or sons who returned home in shame.

Suddenly being a poor horse wasn't such a bad thing after all.