And that is the first “P” that doesn’t have any place
on a ranch.
Pride is the tower upon which we climb only to
reach the top and wait for someone to push us off.
We scream our threats and voice our displeasure for
however long it takes to hit the ground. Somehow
we feel satisfied with our prideful outburst as we
plummet towards our death.
My pride is that I get my feelings hurt easily. What
hurts double is when I realize that the very thing
that I got my feelings hurt over is the very thing that
I knew I did to someone else not 24 hours earlier.
That’s why I’d asked God that morning to help me
with my pride.
of humbly understanding that you can’t be perfect is
the thing that steals our happiness, performance, and
willingness to grow.
The last “P” is impatience.
I know, that starts with “I”. But the fact that it needs
to be left out of the pen, the pasture, the stall, the
living room, and the bedroom still remains.
If perfection is the love child of pride and control,
then impatience would be the result of an incestuous
relationship between the need for control and the
intoxication of control.
Impatience is the wart on the nose of success.
Despite all we accomplish; in light of all our labor;
there is that one wart that will draw all the attention
and diminish all the other beauty we make.
Pride, whether in the low self-esteem form, or the
high self-esteem form, is the cause of more problems
people have than any other. You get mad easy? Pride.
You get hurt easily? Pride. You think it has to be your When we are impatient with others or impatient
way? Pride. No matter how you cut it, it is pride.
with ourselves, it does nothing except take away.
Impatience is like multiplying by 0. No matter what
The next thing that needs to be left at the gate of our else you put with it, anything multiplied by zero is
ranches, homes, business, and anywhere else we
still zero.
might travel is the need for perfection. Perfection
is the love child of pride and the need for control.
To recap: The only one to blame is me. My pride is
It amazes me how well we can justify our need for
the only feeling that can be hurt. My own need for
perfection when it can never be found in anything we perfection in the pen and the pulpit dims what God
do. As a matter of fact, perfection has the opposite
has done through my imperfection. And lastly, my
effect of what is intended. The need for perfection
impatience with my own growth is a smear on the
can ruin a great job. It can ruin relationships. It can
beauty that God has once again worked in a cowboy
ruin lives.
that still has high hopes in a low holler…in a faraway pasture.
It is like the Midas touch, but instead of gold, it turns
things to ruin.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be
haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise
I somehow expect my actions to always be perfect.
in your own sight. Romans 12:16
I try very hard to do the right thing, but very once in
a while, I jig when I should’ve jagged. No one can
get everything right and to seek perfection instead
Dude Ranch Directory
Sundance Trail Guest Ranch
Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
www.SundanceTrail.com
[email protected]
Spring 2016
Would you like to have your Dude Ranch
listed in our Directory?
Contact Amy Clarkson at
[email protected]
for more information.
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