The Winners Circle - Running the Race to Win
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
I love horses. When I was a freshman in college, my parents took me on a trip to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, the home of the Kentucky Derby. It was May. It was only a week after the Derby, and all the excitement was still around us, like ozone after a lightning strike. When you walked into the open courtyard gardens, the legacy of each winning 3-year-old thoroughbred horse was engraved on green and white plates. Names as far back as 1875 were listed!
The placards earned with honor showed years of dedication and hard work. These grounds were sacred. We walked where only horse legends walked. We saw statues dedicated to the great Secretariat and the most recent jockey winner statue in the garden.The green Derby Winning horse's nameplates went on and on, but some names were very special- those were stamped with gold instead of white, but only a few.
These names were the Triple Crown winners. If you know anything about horse racing, the Triple Crown consists of 3 races. It starts with the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. It is a race of a mile and a quarter long. That doesn’t seem like much. Then, the next race is the Preakness. That race occurred in Baltimore, Maryland, at Pimlico Racetrack 2 weeks later. It is 1 and 3/16 of a mile long. The last race is the Belmont stakes. It is held at Belmont Park in Belmont, New York. It is the final leg of the Triple Crown and the longest race at one and a half miles. This race is the first Saturday in June, just two weeks later. The rarity of a horse winning all three of these races is akin to finding a needle in a haystack, making it a truly remarkable feat.
You may find all this information boring or fascinating but just wait for it. I have a point. If you know horses at all, like any other animal, they have their own varieties within their own species. Thoroughbreds are unique from other horses in their legs. They are very “dainty”. They have thin yet very strong legs, made for sprinting. Because of this, they cannot handle much weight on their back, which is why each jockey's weight is of utmost importance also. They have weigh-ins and must weigh the same amount for the race. (they’ll add lead weights to the saddle area to equal them if necessary.) Most thoroughbreds are exhausted when finishing a race and usually will not run again for a few weeks unless they are exceptional!
So imagine running the race of the Kentucky Derby; they have to be conditioned to run that mile and a quarter and win! Let’s say they do not get injured or develop any sprains or inflammations (which thoroughbreds are notorious for..) They take time to rest, then travel the distance, hopefully safely without incidence between Kentucky and Maryland, and train without incidence. Then they go on to an even LONGER race of the Preakness and win that one, again without accident or injury! The physical demands on these horses are immense, making their victories all the more impressive. Now, they must travel again without accident or injury, train, and prep in new surroundings on a new racetrack. Now, the last and longest race, add some new contenders- fresh horses who have joined (which always happens as well). What are the odds they will win the 1 and 1/2 mile course? To win all three races takes a lot of stamina, strength, and heart.
Only 13 horses in horse racing history have won so far…
At Churchill Downs, I had the opportunity to stand in the winner's circle where the winner stands. It was a fantastic feeling beyond words! Knowing all the hours of sweat, tears, and frustration the owner, trainer, jockey, and animal combined put together to accomplish a dream come true was something I felt at that moment. It was unlike any other racecourse or track. Telling a car or your legs to run is different than working in sync with an animal you have total faith in and may or may not listen to you! I love watching the races when I can: watching horses and riders in the paddocks to loading into the gates (sometimes so stubborn that they try to throw their jockeys off).
Waiting for the start- you can see the ripple of muscle and the tension of anticipation in the flesh of the animals as they are just quivering for the gates to open! Then…the race!
The race is just a moment…
And then it’s over. There was so much preparation! There was so much work for such a short amount of time. That is what this life will be when we look back on it.
Food for thought…
Sometimes, horses need to wear blinkers because they get distracted too easily to focus: a butterfly, other horses, the colors of the jockey’s silks, the crowd, you name it! Horses, like other animals, will push themselves harder when in competition with another animal next to them. This can be a good thing or a bad thing.
They might work themselves too hard and deplete their energy before the race is finished, and leave nothing left for the end. This is where blinkers come in handy. The blinkers help the horse only fix its eyes on what is straight ahead, not to the left or the right. The jockey knows exactly when the time is right to give the horse more reign and let it run freely. The horse wants to run. It WANTS to spend all its energy right away. The jockey knows this, but knowing what’s good for the horse and for them as a team will hold it back until…Just. The. Right. Moment.
Paul the Apostle wrote to the church in Corinth about running the race.
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 (NIV)
Paul knew we all would go through times when we would struggle in our race. He faced persecution for the sake of Christ time and time again, yet he knew the goal was far better than anything this earth afforded. I don’t know what you may be struggling with right now.
Maybe you’re completely exhausted, having run too fast a race, distracted by everything around you. Perhaps you need a simple rest between races.
Whatever your situation is right at this moment, know that you are not alone. This is not surprising to God; He is with you through this. This letter to the church is a beautiful reminder to us that no matter what’s going on around us in our jobs, our homes, our relationships, and our health, God has a fantastic winners circle waiting for us at the end. We simply need to put our blinkers on and run the race with Jesus as our jockey, focusing on Him and waiting on Him for His direction. He will get us to the finish line and that glorious winner's circle.