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Recently a man we know died in his nineties, after serving in the military until he retired and then had a long career as a police officer until retirement again. Jimmy covered his beat not in a patrol car or on foot, but on the back of a horse. At one point, he became a training officer for young police cadets, teaching young men and women how to do their job with the help of their faithful, four-footed companion.
The night before the service for Jimmy, we had the honor of sitting with the family and listening to stories of his life as a husband, dad, and also as a police officer. He evidently was quite a man in many ways, loved and respected by family, friends, and coworkers alike.
His family told us how in one training session for the police officers, Jimmy was busy instructing the cadets when suddenly his horse began objecting quite strenuously to having someone seated on his back. That animal wanted to go back to the barn, and nobody or nothing was going to stand in his way. In the process of trying to rid himself of a rider, Jimmy was suddenly sent flying over the horse’s head.
Unbelievably, Jettisoned Jimmy somehow landed on his feet. Undaunted by this quick and unexpected dismount, Jimmy quickly squared his shoulders, and looking directly into the eyes of his trainees, and calmly explained, “And that, men, is how we dismount in McCurtain County of Oklahoma!”
Funny stuff indeed.
But it is more than just a story that makes you laugh and at the same time admire the man. True, Jimmy displayed impressive skills as a horseman, and quick thinking as a leader in front of his men.
But even more remarkable was Jimmy’s ability to take an ‘Oops’ moment and turn it into a Wow!! story that was told by his family for years afterwards.
Folks, do not underestimate the power in the true story you have just read. This wasn’t just a fluke in life – something that came from Jimmy’s brain and out of his mouth with no rhyme nor reason.
The victory that you see in that incident was the result of living his life for many years with an attitude of “I won’t let life get the best of me. I will take whatever unexpected heartaches and problems that come crashing into my life, and I will deal with them in the best way possible.
I will How do the Jimmys of the world do that? Are they simply more-than-human? Do they possess some sort of unbelievable and unattainable abilities that the rest of us can never hope to achieve?
Yes, Jimmy B. was special, no doubt. But he became the man he was because he was smart enough to lean on his faith. He leaned on a God that he recognized as being a lot more able than himself.
Worth learning.
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