Accepting the Bit

I Pulled the bridle over Ginger’s nose and ‘brought the bit to her mouth. Her teeth were closed, but in a second she opened them and let me put the bit in place. It al­ways pleases me that this large animal will willingly do what I want her to.

I have been reading a translation of The Art of Horsemanship, an ancient manu­script on the subject by a Greek writer named Xenophon. What struck me most about the treatise is how horses haven’t changed at all in recorded history. Their training was handled much the same as now. I could have been reading a current description for all the difference I could dis­cern. The section devoted to training a war horse was obviously archaic, but even there it was full of methods that we use now.

The same qualities that were esteemed valuable in a horse in ancient Greece are much the same now:

“To sum up: the horse that is sound in his feet, gentle and fairly speedy, has the will and the strength to stand work, and, above all, is obedient, is the horse that will, as a matter of course, give least trouble and the greatest mea­sure of safety to his rider in warfare But those that want a lot of driving on account of their laziness, or a lot of coaxing and attention on account of their high spirit, make constant demands on the rider’s hands and rob him of con­fidence in moments of danger.. .The groom must also pay some attention to such points as the following: whether the horse will not easily take the bit when he knows that he has work to do. Willingness to receive the bit is, in fact, so important that a horse that refuses it is quite useless.”

Just as horses haven’t changed in all these years, neither has human na­ture. It is amazing how many characteristics a good horse and a good person should have in common.

We should have strong feet for “the walk”; be gentle, yet quick to do what­ever needs to be done. We should be willing to do the work of our Lord, and the stamina to keep at it when the going gets rough. And above all we must be obedient.

That the horse shouldn’t be lazy or overly high strung holds true for a believer also. Accepting the bit corresponds with accepting the Truth, and letting it guide us where the Master has directed. Willingness to receive [the Truth] is, in fact, so important that [a person] who refuses it is quite useless.