We had an amazing opportunity to visit Assateague Island yesterday. Assateague Island is a thirty-seven mile island that runs the coast of Maryland and Virginia. It’s a beautiful beach with a national park. But the most amazing thing about this island is its inhabitants. Wild horses roam freely on the island. When we heard about it, we knew we had to visit it for our horse lovers in the family.
Visiting the Island
Macey, our youngest, has been begging for us to make the trip. We were waiting for nicer weather, and yesterday was finally our chance. We drove there yesterday, unsure what to expect. The island boasts of somewhere between seventy to eighty wild horses, but we weren’t sure if we’d be able to see any. But we did, and it was incredible! We counted a total of about thirteen horses that we saw. It’s crazy because they just wander around. You can find them on the beach, in the parking lot, in the campsite, and everywhere and anywhere. We even got to see one of the two foals on the island! It was an amazing experience, and our kids are already asking when we can go back.
Adapting to Life on Storm Island
One of the things that stood out to me when we were at the visitor center and then later on the island is that these animals have adjusted to life on the island over time. This island is an island that’s seen a lot of storms. Malachi said that he read that it’s called storm island. Because of that, the horses have had to adapt. Their bodies are slightly different than that of the average horse. I am definitely no horse expert, but I read about how these horses have stockier bodies and shorter legs. Macey and I read that they’re fatter than normal horses as well because the grass they eat is salty from being near the ocean, so it makes them drink double of what a normal horse drinks. We also read that they have smaller ears because of the blowing sand all the time.
What’s amazing to me is that the storms that have impacted this island over the years haven’t driven the horses off. Instead, they’ve changed and adapted to their surroundings, making them stronger and able to endure the storms that come their way.
Adapting and Becoming Stronger
It reminds me so much of our lives as Christians. We can either let the storms of life drive us away from what God has for us, or we can adapt and become stronger. We read in the Old Testament how Joseph’s trials made him stronger. The writer of Psalms says this about Joseph:
Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—
Psalm 105:17-19
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with fetters
and placed his neck in an iron collar.
Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,
the Lord tested Joseph’s character.
The King James says it this way:
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.
Psalm 105:17-19
That phrase laid in iron from commentaries literally means that iron came into his soul. His trials made him stronger, turning him into the leader God needed him to be to save an entire people group from starvation in the coming famine. Had Joseph refused to become stronger through his trials, if he had given up, God couldn’t have used him in the way he did.
Growing Stronger and Adapting
What trials are you going through right now? How is God developing you and growing you and putting iron in your soul?
Rather than trying to dodge the trial, recognize it as as opportunity for growth. God is refining you, fortifying you. Embrace the process; it’s preparing you for what lies ahead.
The best way to grow through the trial is to spend time with God and allow him to work in your life. Adapt to how he’s working and choose to get stronger. Only then will we able to withstand the storms and ultimately be usable to God for what he has in store for us.
More Encouragement
For more encouragement, read my post God Uses Trials to Develop Iron in Our Souls or check out Matt’s book Breakthrough.
