It was feeding time and we were going through the normal routine.  The pasture gate is opened, the herd gallops through the run to the barn, each horse trots into their own stall and begins eating the already prepared bowl of grain that has been perfectly placed for them.  These horses love feeding time!

During these few moments, there is not a horse head in sight.  They are all hung low over their bowls in an effort to block out the world and savor the delicious dinner.  With each bite, they become more and more relaxed, settling into a slower chew pattern.  That’s when we know they are almost done.

As I walked through the barn, appreciating the few moments of peace, I saw Thomas looking at me.  This was unusual because all heads should be down.  He paced a little in his stall, went down for another bite, and popped his head back up again. NOT NORMAL!

Thomas is a pony.  He stands about 11.5 hands, which is about 45 – 46 inches in non-horse talk. 

Not a very big guy, but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in his unique character.  Always alert, always curious, always rambunctious, always playful….. you know, the annoying little brother type.  I have never seen him fight, although he continuously badgers the other horses to play with him – only one ever does (Angus pictured below). Poor Thomas 🙁

With people, Thomas is all of the traits listed above, but with a softness that just makes your heart melt.  He wants to love everyone and he would like for everyone to love him back.  When you wrap your arms around his neck, he will sometimes wrap his head around your back as if hugging you.  Other times he will reach down and see if he can get your cell phone out of your pocket.  Yup, that’s Thomas.  Gotta love him.

Stepping up to Thomas’s stall, I see the hole….. the very large, bloody, gaping hole on the side of his lip.  Nope, this is not going to be a normal night.  This size hole will require stitches.  We contacted the vet on call and immediately loaded up to head to the clinic.

Now another thing you should know about Thomas is that he is a pasture pony.  He is a funny character, that is loveable, in OUR environment.  However, he is not broke to ride and has only left our property one other time – which was also an emergency.  Needless to say, when things like this happen, he starts operating on fear and survival instincts, aka fight, flight, or freeze – never a pleasant experience.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS), or fight/flight/freeze, is the state of high alert. It raises awareness of the senses, increases blood flow and breathing, diverts blood to the muscles, and suppresses digestion.

https://www.nwhorsesource.com/the-autonomic-nervous-system/

Upon arriving at the clinic, it was a chore to even get Thomas out of the trailer. It was like if he was saying, “please mom, don’t make me do it.” He tried to bolt to the back of the trailer any time we made any progress toward the opening. He was clearly panicked and in flight mode.

Once the vet checked Thomas over, it was confirmed, stitches were needed.  They were going to proceed to numb the area, which would definitely be the worst part of this whole ordeal for him.  A needle in the lip doesn’t sound good.   Then the vet told me it was not actually one needle… it was several… all around the area.  OH NO!

Enter the twitch. 

The twitch is a tool used in place of sedation.  It can be used to distract a horse from shots, first aid treatments, small medical procedures, and when they are nervous during an exam.  Thomas would definitely need the twitch.

The twitch actually creates a euphoric feeling, releases endorphins in the brain, and calms the soul.  While seemingly horrible things are happening to the horse, it doesn’t “feel” that way with a twitch in place.  A doctor could sew up a laceration, give shots, shove a tube up their nose – all things that cause pain and discomfort – yet when the twitch is on, it is bearable. 

With the twitch firmly in position, Thomas took the 6 injections around the hole like a champ. 

He stared at me intently, clearly confused about how to feel in this moment.  His normal horse brain was probably saying “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE1″, while the current “twitch led” feeling was saying” IT’S ALL GOOD!”

Thanks to the twitch, and 12 beautifully placed stitches, Thomas looks as good as new.

The Moral of the Story

Thomas is not too different from us humans.  We are one person when everything is going as planned (just like Thomas in his own environment), but as soon as something unexpected happens, or we are hurt (physically or emotionally), or there is an incident that sweeps us from our routine, we can be quite different people (just like Thomas at the clinic).

How often do you have that same feeling as Thomas? RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! It can come on in an emergency, but it can also come on when just worrying about our children, relationships, financial issues, our to-do list, our jobs, etc. None of us are exempt. In the Book of John, Jesus even promises that we will have struggles in this world – like it or not.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, NIV)

However, we are also informed that the Holy Spirit lives in us. That’s right! It’s already a part of us. It allows us to be nice to people we don’t necessarily want to be nice to….. control our anger when we have every right to be angry…… feel joy in moments of distress……. stay calm in the storm. All things that seem unbearable at the moment, but are made bearable with the presence of God. Hmmm….. sort of like a twitch.

The Holy Spirit is also the key to our euphoria. You know the “IT’S ALL GOOD!” feeling that Thomas got with the twitch in place. It just means that stuff can be taking place in our lives, things can be happing to us….things that are out of our control….. but we still feel peace and happiness.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:16, the apostle Paul states, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” Well, we already know that we are promised trouble, so when Paul says “at all times”, this means we are capable of feeling peace even during the trial. AGAIN, sort of like a twitch.

This peace is not a feeling of peace per se, it’s the peace of knowing that your purpose is bigger, your problem will go away, this life is just temporary. It’s a Holy peace and it’s euphoric!

eu·pho·ri·a /yo͞oˈfôrēə/ euphoria – a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness.

So ask yourself……….

Are you allowing God to be your twitch?  Are you allowing him to soak into you so much that you don’t “feel” all the pain and horror that’s going on around you?  Does the Holy Spirit create euphoria in your heart? Are you pumped with endorphins that make you feel ok in the not so ok moments?

If not, you are missing the value of the twitch.

One Final Thought

Be like Thomas in your stressful moments.  Allow the twitch to give you the joy, happiness and peace in every moment.

LET GOD BE YOUR TWITCH!