THE CHEERLEADERS

Challenging myself to do new and different things is something I try to be open to lately.  For me, I find this helps me grow as a person, expanding my horizons, and builds my confidence knowing I am capable of doing things that at first may seem impossible.

What is really powerful is when others may step in and cheer you on lending a little extra encouragement when you need it most.

While at a Christian dude ranch in June, I figured I had to go out of my comfort zone and attempt riding a horse at least once. After all, a few  years back my first time riding a horse was at Virginia Beach and last year I did survive a horse ride in the hills of Curacao though I was scared to do so!

 

Sugar, my nice, shorter, slow and steady horse for the week!

 

 

This year my friend mentioned she wanted to go pet the horses so I thought it would be neat to stretch myself and go help groom the horses in the morning. The wranglers were very welcoming and I found myself being at the barn by 7 am for their devotion time and then grooming.  I would help clean off one side of some of the horses while a wrangler did the other side. It was a good way to get a little more comfortable with the beautiful creatures and to love them; something I never did before.

I felt quite accomplished with experiencing five horse trail rides throughout the week. All of the wranglers were so kind, helpful, and encouraging sometimes taking me a special way to feel more comfortable and once even getting a one on one ride since I missed my group time ride!

 

Sugar and I on a trail

 

 As I was finishing a horse trail ride one day, I saw that the pond where the derby was held was a short walk so I headed right over there by myself. There were maybe a handful of guests trying their hand at the fishing. I got a pole, put the bait on it and cast my line into the middle pond.

 

My line is cast!

 

As I cast that line in I thought about “casting” all our cares and anxieties on Him….casting it all on Him.

Considering I haven’t really fished since my dad would take me once in awhile when I was a kid, I was pretty proud of my casting, well, after my first attempt that is. I first thought my pole was broken as the line just came unraveled it appeared. Once I kept winding it in, I saw that all was fine.

As I was attempting to take a selfie of me fishing, one of the young men staff members was attentive to what I was trying to do, so he offered to take my picture which I gladly accepted. Just as he came over, within two minutes of casting my line, my pole started pulling and I reeled in a fish!

 

 

 

It sure was perfect timing that the gentleman was there to assist me getting the fish off the hook. It was a surprise to learn that the fish, measuring 11.6 inches, topped the prior record of 11.5 inches.  Yes, I was sweating it out, waiting to see if my fish record would be overtaken during the 10 minutes remaining. Much to my surprise it was not!  I enjoyed a free ice cream sundae for winning which included ALL the toppings available!

 

My 11.6 inch winning fish!

 

My second, smaller fish

 

One of the days, down in the horse arena area, the ranch offered an activity of sling shots, knife, and a couple of different hatchet size target throwing. I decided I might as well try my hand at it since that opportunity usually does not present itself in life! With enough persistence and cheering on from both guests and workers, I was eventually able to successfully get all three “weapons” on the target from one to three times!

 

Perfecting my knife throwing skills

 

 

There was one particularly heavy hatchet that was quite the challenge to throw but it felt great to eventually be successful at each of them. One guest lady at the ranch was so impressed that I was able to do them all and would smile and mention it whenever I saw her!

 

Attempting the heaviest hatchet throwing with arms behind my back

 

Our last full day there, the rock wall and zip line were open. I was excited to do the zip line especially since this one did not have a rough landing at the end. Rather, this zip line brought you back a bit from the end and you got down via a ladder the helpers brought over. What I did not realize at first was that the only way to get to the beginning of the zip line was by climbing the very tall rock wall!

Did I ever mention that I am afraid of heights?  This particular day I actually did two horse trail rides and in fact, went right from the second ride which was about 1 1/2 hr long to the rock wall before it closed for the day.

I donned the rock wall gear and waited while some young children went first. Once you make it to the top of the rock wall you have to climb over the top and wait a bit on the high platform before getting harnessed up for the zip line.

There was a group of three ladies there at the same time as me, one of which was the lady who was impressed with my earlier throwing skills, along with two mom’s of children there. They, along with my friend, were proud that I was attempting this feat and kept encouraging me.

As I was watching, doubt began creeping in my mind. Seeing how tall the wall was and thinking about waiting on the platform IF I made it seemed to produce more fear and sweaty hands!

At last it was my turn. I probably should not have asked the two young men that were assisting with the rock wall if everyone made it up the rock wall.  Well, it would have been better if they said YES, but instead the reply was no, not everyone has been able to do it.

There are two sections of the rock wall and climbing with a person next to you is the norm.  I attempted the route that was supposedly a little easier though I’m not really convinced it was!

 

Beginning my ascent up the very tall rock wall!

 

I took a deep breath and stepped to the wall to begin my ascent. As I got closer to a third of the way up, I was very thirsty from the Colorado elevation, the hot weather that day, and the horse ride right before. Looking up at the top of the rock wall I felt like I was hyperventilating a little bit and really doubting my ability.  The young man tried to tell me the way to go but it just became overwhelming and I couldn’t gain enough strength to move. So, I surrendered at that point.

 

 

I came down, kept my gear on, and waited for a few ladies to go. They were in better shape than me but seemed to even struggle a bit. There were about 15 minutes left for the activity and the clock kept ticking down.

The ladies that were successful kept encouraging me to try again as I had hydrated some and they were giving me pointers on being victorious.

With less than 5 minutes remaining, I gave that rock wall one more valiant attempt. It was so encouraging to have so many ladies give words of encouragement and instructions on where to put my feet and hands. They kept saying “You can do it,” “Keep going,” “You’ve got this.”

I did get further this time; about half way up the wall before succumbing to the fact that I just could not get all the way to the top. My arms and legs just couldn’t seem to stretch far enough to keep continuing. The one lady was even videoing me because she was so excited for me.

 

 

I am proud I gave it my best and though I feel I am in the best shape currently, it was just a little too difficult.

What touched me the most though was the support and encouragement that was offered to me!  What a wonderful thing to have others cheering you on during something difficult.

 

 

I think it is time for you, my dear readers, to help me finish this post this week.

Can you think of a time when you were a cheerleader for someone in your life?  Who was encouraged because of you?

Or, who was a cheerleader in your life? What did they encourage you to attempt?

Please leave your comment in the section below. Many thanks!

 

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.  –2 Timothy 1:7  (ESV)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  –Joshua 1:9  (ESV)

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  –1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.  –Hebrews 10:23-25 (ESV)