Whitney Cartrite-Huckaby - A Broke Heart: Revelation Through the Eyes of a Horse into the Heart of God

A
Broke
Heart

Revelation through the Eyes of a Horse
into the Heart of God

Whitney Cartrite-Huckaby

Copyright 2013 Whitney Cartrite-Huckaby.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All Scripture is from New Living Translation, unless otherwise stated.

Photo Credits: Kendra Wisdom

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-1376-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1375-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013919451

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/13/2013

Contents

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and Trueand his title was the Word of God. On his robe and thigh was written the title: King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11,13,16 NLT

This book belongs to Him, Faithful and True, the Word of God, and the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

A term often associated with a well-trained, gentle, reliable mount is a broke horse. The process of taming, training, or domesticating a wild or young horse can be referred to as breaking. It is presently more commonly referred to as starting. However, the process of achieving a broke horse started centuries ago when horses pulled chariots, carried soldiers into battle, and dragged heavy plows to till tough soil. In order for a horse to achieve these various tasks, someone had to take time to tame and train that horse. As a result of hours of training and lots of sweat, maybe even tears and some bloodshed, a broke horse was produced. What an asset he was to the chariot driver, the soldier, and the farmer!

It is my desire to have a broke heart. Not broken but broke. I want my heart to be trainable and teachable by the heavenly Father. I want to have a soft and willing spirit. I have days when God must see me as wild and untamed, but thank goodness for His gentleness as a trainer and teacher. I believe as long as Im on earth, He will continue to shape and mold my heart into the broke heart Ill have in heaven someday.

To me, the heart of a well-trained and willing horse should resemble how our hearts should be to the Lord: willing, obedient, submitted, trusting, and respectful.

For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.

Hebrews 4:12

To me, horses resemble the Word of God in that they are active and living. New discoveries are waiting to be made every day. There is always more to learn because neither is robotic. Each offers a fresh inspiration that evokes us to change and grow. Each is a pillar of strength that has a softness and tenderness that demands our trust.

By opening this book, it is my prayer that you can come along with me to my horse pens, even if its only through words on a page. I want you to step into the round pen with me and receive the revelation God has given me through these amazing creatures. He created them at the beginning of time, as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. He saved them upon Noahs ark during the flood. They have carried kings and other royal members, carried soldiers into battle, and maybe even witnessed the birth of Jesus Christ in a little stable in the town of Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago.

The revelations I have the joy of sharing with you are compilations of entries from my prayer journal over the last three years. A verse, topic of a sermon, or lyrics to a worship song would come to life while working with our colts. I would then feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to record what Hed spoken and taught me. The more I studied horses and spent time with them, the more I wrote. I then felt the nudge to put everything that the Lord had been teaching me into the form of a book. So here you are, sweet friend. It is my prayer that the Lord speaks to you, reveals a fresh dose of His love, and renews a tangible passion for His living Word that will bless you beyond measure.

But ask the animals what they thinklet them teach you; let the birds tell you whats going on. Put your ear to the earthlearn the basics. Listenthe fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. Isnt it clear that they all know and agree that God is Sovereign, that He holds all things in His handevery living soul, yes, every breathing creature?

Job 12:78 (MSG)

God wakes me up. The sun isnt up yet, but it will be soon. I sneak out of bed, so as not to wake my husband on his day off, and get dressed. I pull my hair through a baseball cap, pull on a pair of beat-up cowboy boots, and zip up an old hoodie. I quickly make a cup of coffee to enjoy on my walk to the saddle shed. As I approach the pens, I hear a Good morning! but not in the way one would think. Its a low, deep sound like someone clearing his or her throat, but it comes from my equine buddy. Maybe hes saying that its breakfast time, but I think its his way of greeting me each day. I open the door of the old shed and grab a rope halter and a horse-training device called a stick and string.

Good morning, boy! I exclaim as I tie the halter to the colts face. Are you ready to go play? He seems to oblige by steadily walking behind me to the round pen through a series of gates. I walk him in and close the gate behind us. I look to the east and see the most beautiful sight: Gods smile and His way of saying, Good morning, to me. Its a West Texas sunrise, complete with oranges, reds, and gold, which fade the darkness of night away and welcome the day. This is my time with the Lord. This is when I hear His still, small voice. I see His Word come to life through my horses.

My Journey

My journey with my Lord and Savior began at an early age when I asked Jesus to reside in my heart at vacation Bible school. Having the privilege of growing up surrounded by a Christian family, my faith grew. Today, it is my hearts desire to be a servant of Jesus Christ, to live by the power of the Holy Spirit, and to be a student of the Holy Word of God.

My journey with horses began at a young age, too. I grew up on a farm and ranch, loving the outdoors and animals. I looked for any excuse to ride, and mostly that included going with my dad to check cattle on wheat pasture or helping neighbors gather, sort, vaccinate, and brand their herds.