Are we guiding others?
This tale reminds us that we must care for one another, not only with their needs, but also by guiding others along the right path in life.
Two Horses
On a forgotten country road, there is a field, with two horses in it.
From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you look closer you will notice something quite interesting.
One of the horses is blind.
The horse’s owner has chosen not to have him put down. Instead he has built a safe and comfortable barn for him to live in.
This alone is pretty amazing. But if you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. The sound is coming from a smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the smaller horse’s halter is a copper-colored bell. It lets the blind friend know where the smaller horse is, so he can follow.
If you take a moment to stand and watch these two friends, you’ll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse. The blind horse listens for the bell. He then slowly walks to where the other horse is, trusting he will not be led astray.
Each evening the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn. On the way, he will occasionally stop to look back. He is making sure that the blind friend isn’t too far behind to hear the bell.
We all need people we can depend on when we face struggles in life. Sometimes we are the guide. And sometimes we need others to guide us. Listen for my bell and I’ll listen for yours.
Scriptures on Helping Others and Guiding Others
Helping Others
- Hebrews 6:10 – “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
- Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
- Matthew 25:44-45 – “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ ” He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'”
- Isaiah 58:10-11 – “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”
Guiding Others
- Ephesians 4:2 – “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
- Galatians 6:2 – “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
- 1 Corinthians 12:25 – “There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.”
- Philippians 2:3-5 – “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
- Proverbs 12:26 – “The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.” (NLT)
- Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (ESV)
- Proverbs 18:24 – “Some friends don’t help, but a true friend is closer than your own family.” (CEV)
- Luke 6:31 – “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” (NASB)
- Romans 15:1 – “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”
- Isaiah 58:10-11 – “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”
Benjamin Franklin once said, “There are two ways to acquire wisdom; you can either buy it or borrow it. By buying it, you pay full price in terms of time and cost to learn the lessons you need to learn. By borrowing it, you go to those men and women who have already paid the price to learn the lessons and get their wisdom from them.”
