Article February 9, 2015 Issue

When a psalm helped me …

By Ashley, fourth grade, California

I got to learn how to ride horses for the first time at a summer camp for Christian Scientists. I had never been around horses before, and I was nervous. My instructors taught me how to mount a horse, ride a horse, and care for a horse. When it was time to learn how to “canter” on a horse, it was very hard for me to get over the fear of flying up and down in the air as the horse ran underneath me.

That day, for inspiration, some counselors were listening to a popular song with lyrics from this Bible verse: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). We talked about how we can feel God is always with us if we stay quiet in our thought and know that God is in control, no matter what else is going on around us.

On the final rodeo day at camp, I prayed to know that my horse was an expression of God, and that I was there to be an expression of God, too. As they called my name to go into the ring, my horse seemed nervous, and I was afraid that she would buck me off her. My counselor reminded me to think about what we had learned about being still and feeling and knowing God’s presence.

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