If horses aren't in heaven, I ain't goin!

On the last day of class, I had my seminary students write down their grades (for home reading, participation and such) as well as respond to a few comments like telling me their favorite lesson, a time they felt the Spirit, and how they’ve been bettered by the class.

I love reading these, but I especially love reading any additional comments some of my students made!

One of these great comments came from one of my students who looked pained most days in class – I thought seminary must not be his thing, but as I got to know him more, I learned that most things are not his thing. Most things, that is, except horses.

Horses and anything that has to do with horses.

My first inkling that horses were his thing was when he got up during devotional to share a scripture. As he started to preface the scripture with a bold testimony, I was blown away. I didn’t realize he was such a scriptural powerhouse!

Confidently, he said, “If we all keep the commandments we will receive God’s greatest blessing.” At this point, I was sure he would share a scripture about eternal life, but he continued. “In D&C 62:7 we read about this greatest of all the blessings God gives: ‘I the Lord, am willing, if any among you desire to ride upon horses, or upon mules, or in chariots, he shall receive this blessing, if he receive it from the hand of the Lord, with a thankful heart in all things.’”

I was laughing so hard (in my mind) that I don’t remember how he finished. I just remember that I saw him smile as he sat down.

As the semester went on, I learned that he knew every horse scripture in any book of scripture! He was the ‘strong-but-silent’ type, so unless we were discussing horses or something that had to do with horses, he appeared to just endure me and my lessons.

I was sure that because I wasn’t his animal science teacher or ranching buddy I’d never make his top 5 favorite people, but I must rank SOMEWHERE because when he turned in his grading sheet, he added a short comment at the end - offering me one of the greatest things he could ever offer me in all the eternities!

On the bottom of his page, he wrote: 

And oh, I will.