I watched the Kentucky Derby race on this past weekend.  I was channel surfing and I came upon it.  They were just getting the horses into their respective gates.  I decided to stop and have a look.  I am so glad that I did.

What an incredible race it turned out to be.  I didn’t know anything about the horses that were getting ready to take off for the most important race of their careers.  I don’t stay up on the sport anymore.  I can’t.  I stopped any form of gambling some time ago.  I did that for a number of reasons, one of which is because I now know that the excitement of horseracing and casinos are a strong attraction for me.  There is something in my blood that gets pumped up when I’m around them.  I must stay far away so that I don’t slip back into certain destructive behaviors.  Sitting in the comfort of my home, I felt completely safe to watch the race. 

You need to know that the horse that won, “Mine that Bird”, was never expected to win.  He was a non-threat to any of the crowd favorites.  As a matter of fact, they considered him to be way out of his class.  Mine that Bird had been purchased for $9500 as a colt.  He was now racing with million dollar pedigrees.  He arrived at the derby after a 21-hour drive in a trailer hitched to the back of one of his owners’ pick-up truck.  He was what they call a “long shot”.  In other words, he didn’t have a chance.  Boy, were the critics wrong.

The horse started the first half of the race near last place.  Somewhere towards the home stretch, he started to make his move.  His jockey very methodically started positioning him to take the lead.  Slowly but surely he began passing the other horses.  He didn’t look back.  He just kept looking towards the finish line.  The crowds were cheering and the announcer could barely keep his composure.  I even started screaming myself as if I were right there.  Mine that Bird won by nearly seven lengths, the biggest winning distance in the derby’s history since 1946.  In laymen’s terms, he left his competitors in the dust!

This was much more than a horse race for me.  It was a reminder for not only me but one to use when coaching my clients.  When we feel like everyone is against us, God is for us.  When all the critics count us out, God counts us in.  When it looks like there is no way possible, remember all things are possible with God.  “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 NIV

 It doesn’t matter how you start the race, it’s how you finish.

April M. Stallworth

God’s Uttermost Woman Ministry

& Christian Life Coaching for Women

www.uttermostwoman.com

www.latalkradio.com