"Wrestling with God is a no-win contest. But even in defeat, you come out ahead."

By Micha Smith

The buzzing chatter around the rodeo arena went still.

Everything slowed down except my heart rate. All I could hear was the leather creaking in the saddle and a slight jingle as I gently tugged on the big bay horse's reins and backed him into the chute.

The summer sun was hot. Sweat ran down my face as I tried to mentally review the 52 things my instructor had taught me about how to chase down a 600-pound steer on the back of a horse.

Then the chute flew open and instinct took over. At 30 mph, I leaned far to my right, reaching out as the horse maneuvered me closer to the speeding steer. All I had to do then was drop off the horse, catch the steer behind the horns, and tackle him.

No problem, right?

When the horse felt me drop from the saddle, he was trained to move away from us, so I could stop that critter's momentum, twist his head around and wrestle him to the ground.

Steer wrestling, or "bulldogging," is a rough and dangerous sport. After many near disasters, I finally got the hang of it. But it never prepared me for a wrestling match with God...READ MORE