Maturity

“True hope is not fully realized when we keep it for ourselves, but only when we
imitate Jesus Christ and give it away. That's when hope becomes mature.”  -Kim Meeder

    Even though I was and still am learning about horses every day, I have learned how to be smart and mature around horses. Kim Meeder points out that hope becomes mature "only when we imitate Jesus Christ and give it away" and until that happens it is never truly found. I believe that is one of the reasons that horses make such good companions, because they give hope to people in a similar way that God does. 
    When you have hope you are more happy and you can set aside your anxiety and give love. You can put your mind at rest and know that even if you don't have faith in God there is always hope, even if it is only in your horse. I have found this type of maturity in myself because I was able to pass on hope to others even when it looked like there was no hope in my life.  On my worst days I could turn to Sanny and pour out my worries and it would release the stress I felt and I'd feel hope once again.  When I would share with a friend my struggles and the hope I found in the midst of those struggles they would be amazed at my ability to let go of my problems despite my situation.  In turn, they would find hope that one day they could the same.