WAKE
UP!
Some years ago, there was an unforgettable horse named
Sunday Silence. The back story is that Sunday Silence actually should
have been dead…twice. As a young colt, Sunday Silence contracted a deadly
case of colic. Colts with colic only rarely survive. Sunday Silence
got colic as colt, yet he survived.
Due to his prior medical condition, Sunday Silence was
put up for sale at two separate auctions. However, no one wanted to
purchase a horse that had colic or one with his unsightly appearance.
Because in addition to his horrific health issues, Sunday Silence was nearly
killed when the driver of his trailer had a heart attack and experienced a
terrible traffic accident. Bottom-line: Sunday Silence was universally
viewed as an unwanted and unmarketable horse.
However, eventually a man named Charles Widdingham bought
Sunday Silence (sight unseen) for $25,000 because everything he had heard
suggested to him that Sunday Silence was truly tough, a survivor. At the
age of 76, Charles was the oldest trainer to ever bring a horse to The Kentucky
Derby, but he entered that prestigious event anyway, only to become the brunt
of other horse owner’s jokes.
Even the jockey he had chosen, Pat Valenzuela, was in
semi-broken condition. He had only recently been rehabilitated from drug
abuse. So, the odds were heavily stacked against them. Most people
would not have wagered one dollar on that horse, his rider, or owner.
Nevertheless, Charles and Pat had faith and trained
Sunday Silence rigorously. They worked around the clock to get him ready
for the toughest race in the world. Of course, they were surrounded by
million-dollar thoroughbreds with sponsors possessing deep financial pockets.
Thus they were categorically dismissed, as an old fool, a young punk drunk and
a sickly, unsightly horse.
The day of The Kentucky Derby finally arrived. When
the starting gun sounded and the horses bolted out of their gates, a pitiful
looking Sunday Silence wobbled back and forth at first, appearing to be
completely confused. But the gloating spectators overlooked one important
thing: SUNDAY SILENCE HAD HEART!
Suddenly, something strange and unprecedented
occurred. For reasons unknown to his startled critics, Sunday Silence
seemed to WAKE UP – and
he raced down the track like the champion thoroughbred his owner expected him
to be. It seemed that he had an internal realization: ‘I’m in a big
race…and I want to win!’ Sunday Silence shot forward like a bolt of
lightning, passing all of his ungulate competitors, and winning The Kentucky
Derby that day – all because he had heart.
My friend, others might have grossly underestimated your worth,
or occasionally devalued your contribution. Please do not allow your
dream to be deterred or deferred by disapproving glances or commentary.
You know better. Wake up! Put your entire being (body, soul and
spirit) into that unique assignment for which only YOU been purposed and
positioned on this planet. No, it is not too late! Start seeing
(TODAY) what GOD had in mind for you, long before the foundation of the
world. Write it down, meditate on it, plan it, declare it, then act on
it. Constantly evaluate your character and your progress. Then
you can tweak your strategy, and try (again and again and again), until you
succeed!
Sunday Silence literally silenced all his
detractors without speaking one word. His bold actions were the loudest
and clearest expression of his winning destiny. YOU, my friend, have
far more value and capability than Sunday Silence. WAKE UP, STAND UP, GET MOVING!
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