When a promise from God is all you have, then you live like it's all you need.

Standing in the middle of the field watching the other horses eat was Solomon. Jodi grabbed two handfuls of hay from the box she had just filled and walked over to him.

"Oh, sweet boy," she said, "I'm sorry you're not a part of the group yet."

As Solomon took the hay from her hand, the whiskers on his chin tickled her palm, while a memory of her own loneliness surfaced.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Jodi quietly asked. "I know how much it hurts to be rejected. It makes everything feel dark. Hopeless."

Horses are so much easier to talk to than people. Jodi whispered, "You are loved, Solomon. Whether you feel it or not, and whether or not the herd shows it, I promise you are loved. You are wanted. And your presence here matters."

Jodi let her hand trail down Solomon's back and rested her head against his neck. As she breathed in the scents of horses, hay, and morning air, she felt the words she had just spoken to Solomon being whispered to her own heart.

You are loved.

You are wanted.

You matter.

Adapted from Chapter 4