A Lesson in Character

Over the past couple years I’ve had two horses and God has taught me character lessons through them. One important lesson is that “man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”* (1 Samuel 16:7)ESV My first horse wasn’t my preferred color and was so dead broke and old that he wasn’t very exciting to me. My second horse was a beautiful mustang mare and she looked just right for me. From the outward appearance, I liked her a lot more. But as I got to know her, I realized that she was unpredictable. She threw tantrums over little things, such as not having her dinner on time! She was a beautiful horse, but you couldn’t safely trust her. On the other hand, my first horse was not so beautiful on the outside, but had a good heart. He could be safely ridden by my younger sister because he was trained. I could teach him tricks because he knew all the basics so well. I realized, even though man looks on the outward appearance, the heart is really what matters. This is true for myself and others, too.

—AutumnGrace, age 13