Everyone and everything was and is born with a passion and a purpose. Race horses love to run. Just like race horses, many have been called but few are chosen. Many people have been called to the stalks of life to run a race that may seem impossible but few prepare themselves to be chosen. Secretariat’s heart set him apart and allowed him to run a race that others could not run.
Secretariat is my favorite race horse. With odds stacked against him from the beginning, he proved everyone wrong that betted against him and didn’t believe in him. He was a thoroughbred that won the Triple Crown in 1973. He was a horse that broke records and set new standards. God is calling you to be set apart and do the same but it will be because of your heart. Although, Secretariat’s owners had been in the horse business for generations and hoped for the best, it would not be until after his death and an autopsy was done that revealed the true secret of his greatness. No one thought he could overcome his history: he lost some important races, he was too large and the broadness of his shoulders and the odds were stacked against him.
So many thought you were not good enough.
You were not from the right side of the tracks.
What odds are stacked against you? What in your family background has made you believe you cannot overcome? Have you thought, I’m not from a well-known family; I don’t have the right connections? Are these some of the voices that whisper to you?
1 Sam 16:7 ….for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
It was something different about the heart of Secretariat, just like King David. It was a matter of the heart. God called King David a man after his own heart, not because he did everything right but because he pursued him to get his heart. David understood that in order to run his course and obey God’s word he would need his heart enlarged (psalm 119:32). This was a passion that we see was imparted to his son Solomon in 1 Kings 4:29
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
King David accomplished much for God but he did it because he allowed God to increase, stretch, correct and direct him as a leader. Did he make mistakes? Yes, but his heart set him apart. He knew how to humble himself and to repent. He knew he could trust in the mercy and goodness of God to restore him. What kind of leader are you and what will be your legacy? Allow God to enlarge your heart so he can increase your capacity to run your race. It was a matter of the heart for Secretariat as well. Secretariat had a healthy heart 2.5 times larger than the average horse. What kind of heart do you have towards God and his people?
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV)
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of them whose heart is loyal towards him.
Get ready, God is about to show himself strong on your behalf.
