“Blessed are the meek,” said Jesus. When we hear this, we are
likely to think of a Caspar Milquetoast and certainly not a mag-
nificent creature racing against the wind with rippling muscles
and flying hooves, full of spirit and confidence. But the blessed-
ness and meekness blend in the powerful stallion’s response to
the master.
In the same way, Billy has power, charisma, a dynamism that
has made businessmen say, “He could have been a billionaire,”
and Hollywood to send contracts to make him a star. But meek-
ness is power under control. As he runs his race, when Billy hears
his Master’s voice, he listens—and at times “seizes up to a stunned
but instant halt.”
A parallel image is simply Billy as farm boy, still totally awed
by all that has happened to and through him. Over and over we
find he expresses total wonder at what has been done through
him. He is the boy-become-man who sees far more clearly than
most the mixed motives of human souls.
Humility? Billy contrasts the realities of the imperfect human
condition with the magnificence of the Creator. He recognizes his
is only a small part in a vast creation, having a sense of wonder
and awe that he has been chosen.
After we had written this chapter, we came across the same
image of the stallion in one of Billy’s own writings, published long
before the Atlanticpoem. “Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the gentle, for
they shall inherit the earth,’” Billy wrote. “Nowhere in Scripture
does this word carry with it the idea of being spiritless and timid.
It carries the idea of being tamed, like a wild horse that has been
brought under control.”
Billy was the spirited horse, always listening intently for the
whisper of the Spirit.
In his home several years ago, a colleague said to him, after
they had looked at some materials about his accomplishments,
“Billy, you’ve always been humble before both God and man.”
They were walking up some stairs, and Billy was behind him.
He called up, “Well, I’ll tell you, I’m not as humble as you think
I am.”
Redeeming the Ego