We heard about a Diné couple trying to do something remarkable in Arizona. They were out in the desert working to save wild horses from dying of thirst and starvation during the hot summer months. This wasn’t a dream or a wish. They were doing the hard work already, doing whatever they had to to save the lives of these magnificent creatures. They had built hay stations and created watering holes across the desert land, trying to care for wild horses who had no one else looking out for them.
But it was becoming more and more difficult. The right kind of hay, the kind that wouldn’t cause the horses to bloat or get sick, was getting increasingly expensive. Finding and transporting clean water to those remote places took more than good intentions. It took big trucks, portable tanks, and strong backs and hands.
When we first met this beautiful couple, they told us something that broke our hearts. Just the week before, they found a pregnant mare lying lifeless in the dirt. She had been only about one hundred feet from one of their water tanks. But she was too weak to make it the rest of the way, so she and here unborn foal died just feet from what could have saved her.
That was all we needed to hear. We grabbed our team, and our dog, and we loaded up!
We had a truck. We had a portable watering tank. We bought several large bales of the good hay. And we drove out to one of their stations. We came with more than supplies. We came with the presence of God. We came to say, “You are not alone.”
It may not have seemed like a big thing, but for them, it meant everything. They later invited us to share a meal, and before we left, they asked us to pray with them. That time together turned into a tender moment of ministry, hearing their heart behind this unique expression of love to these beautiful and vulnerable horses wasn’t something you hear everyday. We knew that God had us out there for more than just laying out some hay or filling water troughs, we were out there for them. To lighten their load, if only for today, and to remind them that their work is valuable, and worthy to be supported. We encouraged them to keep going and connected them with others who could help fund them and continue the work.
This is what compassion looks like. It is not always about being the one to lead. Sometimes it is about joining someone already walking out their purpose and coming alongside them with strength and support. Sometimes it means standing with people in their calling and lending your hands to the work they are already doing. To lighten the burden of not only their hands, but their hearts. We all left encouraged that day. It was such a good day.
This is not just their heart. But the heart of God to steward the land and everything in it, and to walk with each other, not just in our calling but the calling of others.
We showed up to honor life and calling. And to serve what God has created. We were delighted to carry their burden if only for that one day. We love this kind of partnership with Jesus, and we would do it over and over again in a heartbeat.
