Binding A Bloody Wound

How do you go from being the most hated horse in the herd to the most loved? Just rip all the hide off your leg down to the bone and force your owner to care for you intensely. The wound is so gruesome I can only show a picture of the bandage. I have known about the power of service for leaders since hearing about Christ washing the feet of his disciples, but I do not think I have experienced its transformative effect as much as I did this week caring for Old Joe.

We were given this horse a few months ago, and no one in our family really liked him. My son Joseph disliked him so much that I named the horse Old Joe just to spite him. He was our 10th horse which has taxed our supply of hay. He is kind of ugly with a severe sway-back and has a cantankerous attitude. Two nights ago, he got out of the pasture and ripped his leg open on a piece of rebar. I saw it happen and then stood in amazement as Old Joe did something he had never done before. He came directly over to me and stood staring as if he knew I was the only one who could save him.

After teaming with a vet and caring for this horse for the past 48 hours, I can honestly say I have come to love him. In the process of binding his wound, I have bound myself to him. Where there was always a distance, there is now closeness. It reminded me of something I witnessed while working for PepsiCo. Every year after a long hard summer, facilities across the country would sponsor an Employee Appreciation Week with events like barbeques and leaders climbing in dunk tanks. However, the most impactful memory for me was watching senior leaders changing into shorts and T-shirts and getting drenched scrubbing and washing their employees’ cars. To be closer, even binding ourselves together, we must find personal and meaningful ways to serve each other.