The Gift of a Timely Release

We tend to look at pressure as a negative thing. We don’t like to be pressured to make a decision, we don’t like too much pressure in a handshake and we prefer hugs to be only so tight and we always like to be let go, eventually. Used properly, pressure can be positive.

The InstaPot is a perfect example. Anyone who has ever purchased one expects intense amounts of pressure in order to get the results they desire. Pressure used appropriately can be a very good thing, but in the wrong circumstance it can be damaging. In this season, as we do in every season, we continue to fix our eyes on Jesus.

We do what we can in our small way to bring some release to the pressure in the hearts and minds of people we serve. For the girls we serve in addiction recovery, the pressure they face can be overwhelming. Learning how to let go of that pressure is difficult to teach. We’ve found, however, there is no better teacher than the horses in our ministry.

When Kaitlyn* first came to our ministry, she was overdue for some release. She’d survived a car accident that should have left her paralyzed, but she arrived limping across the lawn eager to greet the horses. She was smiling, and according to the staff that accompanied the girls, this was the first smile she’d seen in weeks.

When it came time to muck, Kaitlyn forgot all about the rake in her hand and stood by Shea, one of our veteran Embrace horses. She ran her hands over Shea’s cheeks and down her neck, fascinated. Shea dropped her head and closed her eyes, completely at peace to just stand in Kaitlyn’s presence. The two of them remained in that place while staff and kids mucked around them, content to let Shea do what only a horse could do in that moment.

Like a steady release of steam from an InstaPot, tension fizzled out of Kaitlyn’s body. With every passing minute, Shea seemed to guide this young girl who’d never been around horses into that peaceful place of being. The place where nothing mattered but what was happening in that very moment. When it was time to return to the barn, Shea yawned and the silent exchange ended.

Smiling, Kaitlyn left something behind in that pasture. Whatever pressure had been weighing her down, she let go.

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