According to one article I read, a thoroughbred has a
small yet elegant head with a high chest. Their profile is straight and the
neck long with well-sloped shoulders. It is handsome, alert, and spirited with
boundless courage and immense stamina. The breed is known for endurance,
agility, and a big heart.
When I occasionally attend the Oaklawn horse races, excitement runs high
as I watch the thoroughbreds enter the track. I look at their coloring, the way
they hold their head, and the spirit of their gait. I have to admit, some are
just better looking than others. I listen to the gasp in the crowd when a
jockey has a problem getting his horse in the gate. However, the horses are all
soon off and running with breakneck speed only to either lag behind, overcome
another, or stretch out their legs, running neck to neck, through the finish
line. As always, in the game of racing, the favorites nor the best looking
ones, do not always win.I wonder if that is why Jesus did not always select the most upstanding, handsome, or the most favored people to do His work. Maybe they had to learn to run with endurance, agility, and heart to become thoroughbreds.
Jonah was afraid, lacked faith, and was stubborn. He ran from God’s call, but after being swallowed by the whale and given a second chance, he learned not to defy God and became a thoroughbred. Moses had murdered a man and escaped to the wilderness when he was called. He argued with God that he could not do what God was asking, but in the end Moses became strong, obedient, and ran with stamina. He faltered at times but God gave him courage, faith, and endurance. Samson was given supernatural strength, but he allowed his weakness toward an untruthworthy woman to rob him of that strength. At the end of his life he turned to God, regained his strength, and showed great courage. David was short in statute and just a boy when he killed Goliath. The people did not see him as a strong and mighty soldier for the king’s army, but God gave David the strength to kill a giant with only a slingshot and a small stone. Zacchaeus was a wee little man who could not see above the crowd, yet Jesus offered him a special invitation. Zacchaeus was converted and became a thoroughbred.
I believe thoroughbreds are formed through a strong and daily relationship with God. Jesus provides so many examples of endurance, heart, courage, and stamina. Being a thoroughbred does not necessarily mean being a favorite among men, but becoming a thoroughbred does make a difference on whether you win, place, or show in life.
I have a long way to go, but I pray, as I sit here in "A Friendly Shade" that although I falter at times, God will mold me into a thoroughbred for Christ.
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