You Can Lead a Horse to Water (or Reflections on Why I May Be a Control Freak)

Certain male members of my family accuse me of being a control freak. I prefer to think of myself as organized and wanting nothing but the best for the people I love. They don’t always see it that way.

Take today. I had a great idea to attend an event that would be encouraging and uplifting, imparting wisdom and opening our minds to wonderful truths. What’s not to love about such an opportunity? When I shared my great idea, it was met with a fair amount of resistance, with words that I prefer not to post in a public forum. It was then that I realized once again an immutable truth was at work…namely that some men reject any idea, no matter how good, that comes from the mouth of their wife or mother. I know this truth; I’ve experienced it too many times to count. Why is it I never learn that the only way to entice some people to do what is good is to make them think it is their idea???

I was contemplating this question in the shower (which is where I do my best thinking) when the horse analogy occurred to me. You see, I’m a nurse (stick with me here!) Specifically, I spent the majority of my career as a critical care nurse. I save lives. Many of the lives I’ve had a part in saving have gotten into their dire situations through some choice they have made to eat too much or too little, smoke, drink too much, drive too fast, engage in careless or reckless behavior….the list is nearly endless.

Here is where the horse analogy fits….at the hospital we force the horse to drink. These people are led to the water (a hospital) where we promptly do the equivalent of anesthetizing them, sliding a tube down their throat, and pouring water into their stomachs thereby saving their sorry butts from the consequences of their actions, at least temporarily. The hope is that they are enlightened to change their choices and go on to live long and prosper. Sometimes it works; often it doesn’t and they go right back to the behavior that brought them to the water in the first place.

Upon this grand insight, I asked God why is it that some people are so closed to great ideas (mine or anyone else’s.) And He brought this scripture to mind:

He [Jesus] replied, “This one can come out only by prayer.” Mk 9:29

Jesus was telling his disciples that sometimes they will make no impact through eloquent or persuasive words, through works of their hands or mighty intellect. Sometime the only thing that will work is prayer. Which, then, begs the question “Why isn’t that where I start??”

I suspect that is the topic of another shower.