A “No Matter What” Kind of Love

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time!

This season only, we’re jumpin’ on a farm tractor, but you’re still gonna grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph continue to talk about “Faith Lessons from the Barnyard” today, and their creature teacher is bigger than last week’s. Much, much bigger, in fact. This big guy has a very important truth that will help Staci in the midst of a hard time.

Let’s dive into the fourth episode of season 5, titled, “A ‘No Matter What’ Kind of Love.’” Here’s Dannah.

Dannah Gresh: Hey, Staci! Thanks for coming to visit the farm again today! How’s it going?

Staci Rudolph: Hey, Dannah. I’m fine.

Dannah: Okay, I’m not buying it. You don’t seem fine at all to me.

Staci: I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m actually feeling pretty bad. Can I tell you about it? Maybe that’ll help me feel better.

Dannah: Of course! Let’s sit down on these hay bales here in the barn.

Staci: Okay. Well, I’m feeling bad because I was hanging out with a friend and got caught up talking with one friend about another friend and, man, I gossiped big time. I feel terrible about it! 

Dannah: Oh dear. I’ve been there before. It’s a sin. I’ve been having trouble with that sin myself this year. It feels really bad. Staci, I’m sorry that happened. I know what you’re experiencing right now. Are you feeling disappointed in yourself?

Staci: Yes. 100%. I feel like I can hardly even pray about it because I’m embarrassed to even talk to God. Sometimes I even feel like He must look at me and think, Man, Staci is A LOT of work! I don’t really want to hang out with her today.

Dannah: Hmm. I think I have something that will help you feel better. Come with me. I want to introduce you to one of my biggest friends!

Meet Truett, one of my horses. He always nickers like that when I approach him.

Hewo, my fwiend! 

He’s a painted half-Arabian. Painted is what we call a horse when they have these large patches of color on them. His black and white spots reminded my daughter of the Chick-fil-A cows—you know, in the ads! She thinks Truett looks like one of those cows! So, she named him Truett after Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A. I’m not sure if that’s okay. 

Staci: Ha ha! That’s hilarious! Did she really?

Dannah: Yes, she did. 

Staci: Hi, Truett! You don’t look like a cow! You are beautiful . . . and big! Wow!

Dannah: Now, I want you to reach out your hand like this, slowly and gently, and touch the end of his nose . . . right here.

Staci: Okay. Oh wow . . . double wow. I’ve never felt anything so soft! His nose feels like velvet— the softest velvet I’ve ever touched! This really does make me feel a little better!

Dannah: I know. Isn’t it amazing? And, guess what? I’m glad that touching Truett’s nose made you feel a tiny bit better, but I think his story is what’s really going to help you out today.

Staci: Let me hear it. Your animal stories are the best! I’ll just stand here and keep petting his soft nose.

Dannah: Okay, here it goesI had wanted a horse ever since I was a little girl, but I didn’t get one until I was in my forties My uncle, who is big into horses, told me to pray before I buy a horse, asking the Lord to take me to the right horse for me. So, I did that. 

Staci: Sounds like your uncle gave you good advice! Praying before big purchases is always a great idea.

Dannah: Sure is. When I saw Truett’s picture in the for-sale ad, he was gorgeous! He was being ridden by a girl and his neck was arched beautifully like Arabians do. It was very impressive. 

But when I arrived to meet him, he didn’t look anything like that picture I saw. Instead, his head was low, and he looked tired. There were these scab-like spots all over his body, and there were even some places where he was missing hair altogether. Farmer Bob came with me to meet him and pulled me aside to say, “I’d like you to find a horse that’s mostly alive, not mostly dead.”

Staci: Truett must have looked really bad for Farmer Bob to say something like that!

Dannah: It was pretty bad! But I just knew this was my horse. I mean, I had looked at dozens of other healthier horses but didn’t have the sense that they were the right one. But I thought Truett was.

I brought a friend named Megan to meet Truett. She works with horses everyday for a living. She said, “We can help him. He’s just been barely fed and badly neglected for a few years. He’s suffering from malnutrition and neglect. He just needs food and love.”

So, we brought him home and began the process of nursing him back to health. At first, he could only be out on the pasture for one hour at a time. We didn’t want him to gain weight too fast. If he did, the muscles in his legs couldn’t carry him.

This made Truett a little bit mad! He saw the green grass and wanted it! But it wasn’t safe. I had to control his weight gain. So, he stomped his feet at me and blew madly through his nostrils when I didn’t let him out! 

I guess it’s safe to say he had some behavioral issues that needed to be addressed!

I had to train him to have better habits, and he was just a lot of work.

Because of the malnutrition, he also had something that’s called rain rot. It’s really tiny, little insects that start to live under a horse’s skin when their bodies don’t have a strong immune system and can’t defend themselves. The scabs all over his body were actually collections of bugs under his skin.

Staci: Oh, gross! 

Dannah: Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. I don’t want to ruin any appetite you might have, but let’s just say, the removal of those little bugs was very difficult, super time-consuming. And to put it in your words, absolutely “gross.” 

Staci: Thanks for sparing me the details.

I think I want to cover Truett’s ears when I ask this, but did you think maybe you made a mistake in buying him?

Like, didn’t you ever want to just give up and stop doing all the hard work to help him get better?

Dannah: That’s exactly what I was hoping you would ask me, Staci.

The answer is, no. I loved him. I wanted to care for him. I wanted to save him. I wanted to help him grow and change. There was one point when I was working to get all those bugs out of his skin—doing that gross work— that I was just flooded with love. I got tears in my eyes because I just wanted him to be well and my heart was for him at that moment in such a special way.

As I kept working on Truett’s skin, God brought a Bible verse to life for me. Let’s make it today’s power verse. I think you need it. Let me quote Romans 5:8 to you:

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

When I was taking care of this beautiful beast and he was a lot of work, I loved him then, when he required my attention. 

And God loves you no matter what, all the time. He loved you while you were a sinner. And there’s nothing that changes that.

Staci, earlier you said you felt like God might think of you as a lot of work! Why?

Staci: Because I sinned.

Dannah: Well, I think most of us believe that God loves us. Except when we sin, it’s hard to believe it. When we disobey our parents or cheat on a test . . .

Staci: . . or gossip.

Dannah: Sometimes our feelings tell us a lie about God’s love. We believe God only loves us when we are good.

It is true that sin separates us from God, and that’s partly why we feel distant, but God still loves us. It’s just difficult to feel God’s love. Trying to feel connected to God after we sin can be like trying to download a song when you don’t have good WiFi. The connection is there, but something is interfering with it.

Staci: Ah, that’s so true! Sin makes it hard for us to connect to God clearly. But God is still there, and He still loves me. I know that! I just need to tell my feelings.

So, what you’re saying is that the way you loved Truett, even though he was pretty messed up, was sort of like how God loves me right now? It’s a “no-matter-what kind of love!” huh?

Dannah: Ah, I love it! That’s a beautiful way to say it, Staci. I feel like you maybe already knew something about God’s “no-matter-what kind of love!”

Staci: Yeah, I know that God loves me unconditionally, but sometimes I feel like my brain has a little leak in it. Like, I forget important things, and I need to be reminded, ya know?

Dannah: Yep. I feel like my brain “leaks” too sometimes. That’s why I make sure to continually get God’s truth into me every single day. I need to keep getting filled up!

Staci: For sure! Hey, Dannah, standing here looking at Truett, I would never know his story was as rough as what you just told me. 

Dannah: I know. I think that’s one reason why God loves us enough to do the hard work it takes to help us. 

Staci: I see where you’re going here. You took care of Truett because you knew what he would become. It’s almost like you could picture him as the beautiful horse he is right now. And God’s patience and love for me when I’m messy is the same. He can see beyond what I am to what I can become!

True Girl, when you sin and feel far from God, don’t let your emotions get to be the boss of you. Talk to Him about it. I would start by praying, “Thank you for loving me even when I sin.” 

That “thank-you prayer” just might turn into a beautiful conversation with God who loves you with a “no-matter-what kind of love.” 

Let’s both make sure to talk to God today instead of trying to hide from Him.

Dannah: Sounds like Truett agrees! Staci, I’m going to go in the house and get some hot tea for you. Why don’t you stay out here with Truett and start talking to God yourself?

Staci: Thanks, Dannah. Do you think Truett will mind if I just keep petting this spot on his nose while I pray?

Dannah: I don’t think he wouldn’t have it any other way!

Claire: Now, I really want to find a horse to pet! That story of Truett’s recovery from neglect is so beautiful! What a great picture of how God loves us even when we feel like we are so messed up or sinful. God’s love truly is a “no-matter-what kind of love.” 

Truett would certainly want me to tell you about The Barnyard Box we’re shipping to our True Girl subscribers right now. If you join us now, we’ll ship this horse-themed box as your first one. Then, you’ll begin to get regular discipleship tools right to your front door. The box includes a mom+daughter date plan, a coloring page, and lots of themed items to teach truth. Subscribe today at MyTrueGirl.com.

Wow! Have you ever heard that sound before? On the next episode of the True Girl Podcast, you get to meet Roxy. She’s a peahen and our creature teacher of the week. Roxy surprised Dannah with something very special one day, and you won’t believe what it was! Make sure you tune in next week!

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

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