Spooky Emotions

As 2026 chugs steadily along into October, many of you may be looking forward to decorating with mums and pumpkins on your porch, breaking out your flannels, or stopping by your local coffee shop to warm up with a pumpkin spice latte.

Fall is in the air, and our horses can feel it too! While we might be reaching for a jacket or raking leaves (again), the horses might feel a little fresh in the cooler weather—or they might shy at the hollow, rustling sound of fallen leaves.

Wild horses are animals of prey, and God created them with a flight instinct when they perceive a threat. This is what causes our horses to spook—to jump, shy, or bolt when something scares or startles them.

Sometimes, we spook too.

Although we are not animals of prey, life circumstances and upcoming events can make us want to run far away. Changes, difficult relationships, uncertain circumstances, financial pressures, health concerns, or simply the unknown can cause us to want to bolt from everything that feels scary.

Fear is a very real emotion. But how we respond to that fear matters.

A Training Opportunity

God created horses with a flight instinct to help protect them from predators in the wild. But when we work with our horses, we teach them that they can choose to override that instinct and trust us instead.

A horse may initially spook at an umbrella, a plastic bag, or a tarp. But through patient training, the horse learns that the scary object does not have to control its response. Instead of fleeing, the horse can look to its handler and trust.

In much the same way, God uses the circumstances of our lives to teach us to trust Him.

God did not create us to live controlled by fear. Yet sin has affected our emotions, our courage, and our responses. When we face something frightening or uncertain, our first instinct may be to run, worry, or try desperately to control the situation ourselves.

But God calls us to respond differently.

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” ~ 1 Peter 5:7

Notice that Scripture doesn't tell us to pretend we aren't anxious. It doesn't tell us that faithful Christians never feel afraid. Instead, we are told what to do with our anxiety: cast it on Him.

When Fear Says, “Run”

Just like our horses will always encounter things that make them nervous, there will always be circumstances in life that “spook” us. And working with horses reminds us that trust isn't developed in one training session. It is built over time through countless experiences of asking, releasing, waiting, and reassuring.

Our relationship with God works much the same way.

Every difficult circumstance becomes an opportunity to practice trust. Every unexpected change gives us another chance to remember that God is faithful. Every moment of anxiety gives us an opportunity to turn our eyes away from the thing that scares us and back toward the One who holds us.

God Says, “Trust”

The goal of training isn't to create a horse that never notices anything scary. The goal is to teach the horse what to do when something scary appears.

The same is true for us.

Faith doesn't mean that we will never feel afraid. Faith means that when fear comes, we have somewhere to turn.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” ~ Psalm 56:3

We don't have to run.

We don't have to have all the answers.

We don't have to manufacture our own courage.

We know the God who holds the future.

Grace For Today

But not only do we not need to run in fear, but God also provides abundant grace for each day—and even for each moment. His strength is sufficient when ours isn't.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

So the next time your horse spooks at a pile of leaves, a rustling tarp, or something unexpected in the arena, let it be a reminder.

We will encounter things in life that make us afraid. But we don't have to let fear determine our response.

Instead of spooking and running, we can stop, turn our eyes toward our faithful God, cast our anxieties on Him, and choose to trust.

Because the God who asks us to walk by faith is the same God who promises to walk with us every step of the way.