Those of you that know me may be surprised to learn that I just returned from a week at a dude ranch in Colorado.  My kids said they wanted pictures to prove that I was actually there!  My two widow friends and I sat down a while back and made out a bucket list of things we would like to do.  A dude ranch was on Julie’s list and she asked if I would go with her.   I would not have chosen to go there for a vacation and it was definitely out of my comfort zone but am so glad I did!  It was fantastic!

 

We did all sorts of activities besides riding:  archery, skeet shooting, fly fishing, lassoing, barrel races, and white water rafting.  Here are pictures to prove that I did all of the activities!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We rode in the mountains almost everyday.  The views were breathtaking especially at the top of the mountain at 10,000 feet altitude!  My horse’s name was Outlaw.  We got along well the whole week.

 

 

 

 

 

One afternoon we rode 2 1/2 hours to pack camp.  Our dinner was prepared over an open fire.  We slept in tents that night.  It was cold at night but usually warmed up during the day.

Our group was one of the first groups to get there.  Of course we had a out house for a bathroom.

You probably know where this is going, yep, my phone fell down the hole!  I was not about to loose all my pictures.  Fortunately, it was a fairly new hole so…..I pushed the box out of the way and retrieved my phone.   I know, gross…….

My favorite activity was Saturday when we got to go on a cattle drive.  We had learned earlier in the week how to “steer” the cattle.  Saturday we headed out to the mountains to retrieve the 80 head of cattle and bring them back to the corral so they could be checked over and the new babies branded.  It was so exhilarating!  We would locate the cows and ride behind or alongside them and yell to get them to move in the direction we wanted.  I was riding in the trees, bushes, etc.  It took all morning to locate them all and get them back.  Later in the afternoon after they were checked over and branded we drove them back out to the mountains.  Yep, you can call me “cowgirl” now!

So many times we, me included, like to stay in what is comfortable.  It can be scary to leave something that is safe and secure and step out into the unknown or unfamiliar.  After Jesus had fed the 5,000 people he had the disciples  cross to the other side of the lake in a boat while he sent the people home.  He had gone up the hills to pray by himself.   A few hours later the disciples thought they saw a ghost coming towards them on the water and were terrified. Jesus reassured them that it was He and not to be afraid.  Peter said, “Lord, if its really you’, tell me to come to you by walking on the water.”   All right, come,” Jesus said.  So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink.  (Matthew 14: 22-36).  Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at his circumstances.  If he had not listened to Jesus’ voice and not stepped out of the boat he would have missed out on something incredible, walking on water.

When I would serve something new for dinner and one of the kids would say, ” I don’t like that,” I would respond, “How do you know?  You haven’t tried it before?”  They would try it and say, “Oh, this is good.” Had I not stepped out of my comfort zone and gone to the dude ranch I would have missed the incredible experiences.  Yes, somethings I tried I wasn’t very good at, like shooting, but other things I learned I enjoyed, like riding horses.  I would have missed the blessing of seeing God’s beautiful creation of the mountains, rivers and animals and meeting some wonderful people.

Sometimes we need to step out of what is safe and secure.  We need to step into the unknown or out of our comfort zone. There we can experience the power of God and and have some amazing experiences.

Do you like to stay in a safe place?  It is usually there that we think we can handle things on our own and leave God out.  Get out of the boat and walk on water!  Trust God.  Experience something new!

 

On the journey,

Trish