Our StoriesOur Destiny
By Cindy Prindle
Rising Son Youth Ranch, St Joseph, MO
We all have our Destiny, a God designed plan for our lives. Ours came packaged in the life of a 12 year old girl, heart broken by life, whose love for horses wouldn’t let her stay away from the ranch. It was by God’s design that our first horses were donated just in time to help rescue her from self destruction. This rescue didn’t happen over night, or even in several months, but over 4 years of being loved by these incredible creations of God.
Destiny was there when our first donated horses arrived. The first 2 were Millie and TJ, and a few weeks later, Topsy, donated by a local equine rescue ranch. Despite neglect and abuse, they still displayed unconditional love, and the need for that love to be returned. Her 12 year old heart was caught; hook, line and sinker. She spent every second she could with them, even giving up a birthday celebration with her family to be with her beloved horses. Topsy, a 30 year old Paint Pony mare and retired barrel racing champion was the only one broke to ride, and our riding ring was the fenced in dog yard behind our house. That didn’t stop Destiny from learning. Every chance she could, she was out there loving and being loved, grooming them, learning to tack up, and ride. The foundation was being laid for the healing she so desperately needed.
When God decides to use the weak and broken to accomplish His purposes, many times, the process is painfully slow, and so it was with us. We were thrilled to have the call to service, but clueless about the process. I Corinthians 1:26-29 clarifies this: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” As the ranch began to develop, we certainly knew it was not about us, or our abilities, but God who was making it all happen. This was not something we could accomplish, or even aspire to; we were but His human vessels, barely usable at that, but marveling in God’s accomplishments. Destiny was there to witness our failures and blunders, but it didn’t matter to her, she had her horses, and they were her daily sustenance.
For 2 years, she was our only student, she had our full and undivided attention, and she gloried in it. She saw new horses come and go, she saw the move to a larger and more suitable property. She saw the struggles and the triumphs, and she grew apace with us. She was there to learn how best to muck out stalls, and clean tack. And when the ferrier taught us how to deal with a problem horse who wouldn’t hold up his foot to be cleaned, Destiny learned right along with us. She was part of the transformation of Millie from a frightened angry horse to a trusting loving pet. She even helped with the mundane tasks, like filing paperwork and stuffing envelopes with newsletters to be mailed. Destiny literally grew up with the ranch and was an integral part of it.
Destiny was living her destiny and ours. She began to smile more, and to gain self confidence as she became an accomplished horse woman. As the unconditional love of the horses touched her heart, she learned that she was indeed lovable and still capable of receiving love. Her acceptance of this was still a long way away, but the seeds had been planted in her heart. Although she was content and cooperative at the ranch, things at home were far from well, and when she began to chose friends who were leading her farther astray, Destiny’s parents begged us for help. With much prayer and seeking of Godly counsel, we finally decided that some time away from home, school and friends was in order. Destiny came to live at the ranch for 4 months. She worked and studied hard, but most important of all, she spent time, daily, with the horses. She was a terrific help with chores and exercising of the horses, and sometimes she just went out to the pasture and played with them. What we saw was a bright, happy teen, seemingly well adjusted and content with life.
We thought she was making such terrific progress that at the end of the summer, she went home, to be home schooled and try family life again. This began a very dark time for Destiny. She withdrew into a place inside herself, even to the point of cutting herself, where no one seemed to be able to reach her. We prayed earnestly for her and her family. After many months, our Destiny began to re-emerge, almost as a butterfly breaks from its cocoon. Unknown to us, the Lord had been working on her heart, and she began to realize that she is a worthwhile person, unique and beautiful in God’s eyes. She’s returned to school, gets good grades and cultivates better friends. She knows life can still be a struggle, but she’s determined to live it to the fullest. Destiny is now a valued, hard working volunteer at the ranch. She knows the value of a horse’s love and wants to help other children learn what unconditional love really is.
Rising Son Youth Ranch is a faith based ministry which provides riding therapy to at risk and special needs children in St Joseph, MO.