Kris and Kell were sitting on the sand at Front Beach in Rockport, Massachusetts watching the sunset. Suddenly Kris said, “Look! There is a bottle floating at the edge of the water, and it looks like there is something in it!” Kris ran to the water and snatched up the bottle. There was a note inside it that said, “Drive to Assateague Island in Maryland and Virginia tomorrow and see the Assateague Wild Horses.
Kell looked at Kris and said, “This sounds like another misadventure! Is this island in Maryland or in Virginia? This does not make sense!”
When they got back to their hotel room Kell got out her tablet and looked up Assateague Island. She was surprised! The island is in both Maryland and Virginia; the Stateline goes across the middle of the island! The next morning, they got up early and drove to the Maryland and followed the directions to the island. This island is famous for having herds of wild horses that live on the island. The ancestors of these horses were tame at one time, but they were turned loose and became wild. Now these horses have been wild for many generations, and people come from all over the country to see them.
There are two groups of these wild horses; the Maryland group on the north part of the island, and the Virginia group on the south part of the island (yes there is a fence on the Stateline so that the two groups are kept separated). When Kris and Kell got to the island they heard people talking about a special event that was going to happen that day on the Virginia part of the island.
If the herd of wild horses gets too large, the island would not have enough food for all the horses, so the State of Virginia has determined how many wild horses can safely live on their part of the island.
Every year on the last Wednesday of July the extra horses are herded into the water that separates Assateague Island from nearby Chincoteague Island. The selected horses swim to Chincoteague Island and they are auctioned off to people who would like to own and tame a wild horse. This keeps the herd of wild horses on Assateague Island from getting too big. This was the last Wednesday of July, and all the people were excited to watch the horses swim to Chincoteague Island!
The people who herd the selected wild horses from one island to the other are called Saltwater Cowboys (or Cowgirls). The leader of the Saltwater Cowboys came up to Kris and Kell and told them that arrangements had been made so that they could help herd the horses! Kris and Kell were so excited, this was going to be a great adventure!
Kris and Kell were each given a tame horse that was already saddled and ready to go, and they were told what they needed to do to help herd the wild horses. It was so much fun! The selected wild horses were separated from the rest of the herd and headed towards the beach! Kris was yelling and acting like a real cowboy when it happened…he fell off his horse!
Kris hit the ground and suddenly realized that there were wild horses all around him! These horses looked very big from Kris’s position on the ground! He was so scared! He was sure that the wild horses would trample him and kill him! Three wild horses were galloping straight towards Kris. Kris wanted to shut his eyes because he did not want to see himself get killed!
Just before the horses got to him, Kris’s eyes flew open, and he saw those three horses up close! One horse swerved around Kris to the right, another horse swerved around Kris to the left, and the third horse jumped over Kris! He was not dead yet!
Just then he heard the pounding hooves of another horse coming towards him! Kris was sure that he was going to die this time, so he shut his eyes tightly! The pounding hooves stopped right beside Kris, and he heard a voice shout, “Open your eyes and get up! You are going to get killed sitting there on the ground!” Kris opened his eyes and saw Kell sitting there on her horse. Kell reached down and grabbed Kris’s hand and pulled him to his feet. Kris jumped onto the back of Kell’s horse, and she got him out of danger!
Kris was still scared and shaking from his misadventure, he stayed on Kell’s horse and held on to her with all his strength until the horses were all safely swimming towards the other island. Just before Kell’s horse went into the water, Kris jumped off the horse and stayed on Assateague Island. He did not want to take any chance of falling off the horse and drowning! Kell stayed on her horse as it swam between the two islands, and she had a great time!
Lesson Learned about God
That night Kris was still upset because of the intense fear that he had experienced that day. He said, “I was so afraid that the wild horses were going to kill me, and there was no one to rescue me!”
Kell told him, “You forgot that I was there. I love you, and when you are in danger I will do everything that I can to rescue you! In the middle of your fear, I arrived on my horse and got you out of that mess.
This reminds me of what Jesus does for every Believer. Before we were even born, Jesus gave His life on the cross to pay for our sins, so that we could be forgiven and truly live in this life and for all eternity with Him. We do not need to live in fear of our past mistakes and sins. We also do not need to live in fear of any mistakes or sins that we commit now or in the future because Jesus paid for it all on the cross!”
In the Bible in I John 4:17-19 it says:
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of Judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love. We love each other because He loved us first.
Kell added, “Kris I hope I will always try to rescue and help you because I love you, but my love is far from perfect and sometimes I will fail you. Jesus has perfect love, and He will never fail! Whenever we need help, we know that He is right there and will guide us through any problem that we face! Our God is such an awesome God!”
If you have never believed in Jesus and asked Him to forgive your sins and come into your life, please take some time and pray today and ask Him in. Then you will begin to know what true, perfect love is like, as you start to get to know Him!
Report to the grandmother:
- At the travel agency – God has a good plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11
- Florida – God is watching over us, we do not need to be fearful. Psalms 23
- Wisconsin – Temptations. I Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 14:12, I John 1:9
- Minnesota – Never take your eyes off Jesus. Matthew 14:22-33
- Kentucky – God’s Word (the Bible) is the truth! John 17:17
- Louisianna – Choose Heaven and the Tree of Life. Revelation 20:11-15, Revelation 21:27 thru 22:5
- Illinois – God is in control. Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28-30, Proverbs 16:9
- New Mexico – God is our place of safety. Psalms 46:1-3, Psalms 91:1-2, Psalms 18:1-2, John 14:1-3
- Alabama – Training for heaven. I Peter 1:18-21, I John 3:2-3, Ephesians 5:1-2, I Peter 2:21, II Timothy 4:6-8
- Georgia – Sin erodes a person’s life and brings death. Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 3:22-25a
- Texas – Jesus offers abundant life. John 10:10, Mark 12:29-31.
- Kansas – Humans are filled with hatred and evil. Genesis 8:21-22, Romans 3:21-25a.
- South Carolina – Reminder of the Crucifixion. Isaiah 53:3-9
- Arkansas – Jesus is Crowned with Glory and Honor. Hebrews 2:9-10, Revelation 19:16, John 11:25-26
- Idaho – Times of Refreshing. Acts 3:19-20a, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 40:28-31
- Washington State – Obeying God is Important! James 1:22-25, James 4:17
- Oregon – Do not let your first love for Jesus erode. Revelation 2:4-5a, Psalms 51:10-12
- Ohio – We are secure in God’s hands. Isaiah 41:13, Psalms 139:9-10, Psalms 73:23-28.
- Iowa – God is in control: Past, Present, & Future. Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 4:8.
- South Dakota – Believers are the family of God. Ephesians 2:19-21, John 1:12-13, Ephesians 1:5, I Thessalonians 5:15-18.
- Indiana – Win the Race! I Corinthians 9:24-27, Matthew 25:21
- Michigan – Cost of following Jesus. Luke 14:27-33.
- Missouri – The Book of Life. Revelation 20:11-15.
- New Jersey – The Light of the World. Philippians 2:14-15, Matthew 5:14-16.
- New York – God will meet our needs. Philippians 4:19-20.
- Pennsylvania – A special place and rest in heaven. John 14:1-3, Hebrews 4:9-10
- Montana – Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. John 15:5
- Alaska – Jesus is the light of the world. John 1:4-5, John 8:12, Revelation 21:23-27, Revelation 22:5
- Maine – God’s Holy Spirit is like the wind: invisible, powerful and always working! John 3:8, Acts 1:8, John 14:26, Romans 8:26-27
- Massachusetts – God is preparing a special place for each believer. John 14:1-3.
- Maryland/Virginia – Perfect love overcomes fear. I John 4:17-19.