We prayed over dirt, rocks, and the squared-off location of a foundation for a new home. Just close friends and family attended this blessing. Today, will you join us? C’mon, you’re being invited!

How do you bless a future home? How can someone ask God to bless what’s not even there yet?

My prayers must be more substantial than a simple “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food.” It needs to be special. Special, like how this young couple has become to Staci and me.

They’ve moved into this Wet Mountain Valley by way of California! They definitely are “riding different horses” on their journey than this old country boy from Mississippi.

For years I’ve said that we all ride a horse on this spiritual journey. It’s my way of explaining our personal journeys. While we all ride different horses, we are all headed in the same direction.

Some, like my young friends here, had “horses” that carried them on journeys in the big concrete cities in our country. My “horse” carried me to adventures in small-town Mississippi. My friend’s “horses” carried them into the corporate world to make money/hay. Me? Well, my “horse” carried me into the literal hay fields to provide money/hay. Guess I grew up more of a cowboy than I thought.

Our “horses” propel us on our spiritual journey by giving us everyday experiences. This helps us grow our very personal beliefs in a Higher Being.

You’re riding your horse, and for no reason she spooks and throws you. Or maybe she’s stubborn when it comes time to open a gate. Perhaps more common among us all is this. You lack direction, thus your “horse” is lost.

I’ve ridden that horse many times in my journey through life.

What gets lost on this trail of life are all the things we have in common. Seems like the world today wants us to focus on our differences rather than what we have in common.

The differences? This young couple is from California! I’m from Mississippi. They worked and lived in huge concrete cities. I worked barefoot in the mud. (I didn’t want to get my shoes dirty, ha)

They are healthy and choose to eat healthy food. I eat Cheetos!

I could go on and on about how different we are. But then again, I won’t. Why? Even with all the differences in our “horses”, they are so much like Staci and me. I hope in their eyes that it’s a good thing.

Our “horses” provide a way of giving and receiving love with our family members. We have a love for the land and wildlife that we get to enjoy. Laughter is something we all enjoy. Spending time in nature is something we love. We choose to live life to the fullest. We love the outdoors. With prayer, we thank God for all that He has provided.

This might explain their asking me to invoke blessings for their new dwelling.

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Proverbs 23: 3-4.

Symbolic meanings filled my prayers. That’s why I wove a rope decoration for their new home. Everyone there tied a small piece of cord to each other, forming one unified rope. This demonstrated community support for their new home endeavor.

I wrapped a gold cord firmly around the balled-up cord representing all individuals connected to these couples. This demonstrated God’s provision and protection for residents plus this house being built.

The cross in the decoration is symbolic of how Jesus is the go-between for me and this Holy Omnipotent Being that I’m asking for blessings. I can talk to Jesus just like I can talk to a horse. What’s crazy is that I can hear from them both!

All this symbolism and me saying a prayer wouldn’t give a raindrop’s amount of blessings to this new home. There was even another great prayer given by someone who gave such meaningful words.

Our prayers asked for peace, joy, happiness, love, laughter, whew, and a higher way of living for this future home.

To show respect to this property and realizing we weren’t the first people to ride “horses” on this ground, I gave a lot of the blessing using Native American language. It gave it an organic, authentic voice, asking for blessings on their time spent on this mountainside.

This home will be blessed. Not from my praying, but who we prayed to. Not from our prayers, but from our God because of Jesus. All who enter my friend’s new home will feel His love, His mercy, and His protection.

I can’t wait for this house to be built and truly become a blessed home. I bet they’ll let me walk in barefoot!