Secretariat

  It's hard to watch a movie when you know how it's going to end, as good as the movie may be.

  I enjoyed watching Secretariat.  Disney's movie about the famous racehorse captured me, but there was something that prevented me from getting completely caught up in the movie, and I think it's the realization that the movie was never as dramatic as it could have been, because I knew Secretariat won the Triple Crown.  As tense as some of the moments might have been, I knew who would come out on top.  And that takes a lot away from a movie where the drama rests mostly on whether or not Secretariat is going to win.  (For example, Seabiscuit was far more engaging for me, because I knew nothing about Seabiscuit.  The Mighty Ducks was dramatic because we didn't know whether the knuckle puck or the flying V would work.  But I digress...)

  The lesson I take from Seabiscuit is the importance of following your passions, of doing what is critically important, even though sacrifice is often required to do so.  Diane Lane plays Penny Chenery, the housewife who inherits the family farm and a stable of racehorses.  Her family is halfway across the country in Denver, while she is in Virginia, trying to keep the farm afloat, believing fully in Secretariat's potential to win the Triple Crown.  She takes risks, gambles, and sacrifices a lot in order to succeed, and in the end she is rewarded for her sacrifices.

  We sacrifice to make time, to save energy, for those things that matter most to us.  It's why they tell you to look at a person's checkbook to see what matters most to them.  What is it in your life that you will always make time to do, and what will you do only if you have enough time to do it?  My attitude toward spiritual disciplines will often run dangerously toward the latter--I'll do it if I have time, but I'm usually more willing to make time to do recreational activities, to work out, to play.  I make those things a priority, and I don't sacrifice to build up my relationship with God.

  Secretariat was able to win the Triple Crown because a lot of people believed in him enough to give of their time, energy and money to get him to the race.  I believe that God will redeem the world out of God's great love, but I believe that God is longing for us to put God first, to join in with what God is doing in the world.

  We'll have to make some tough choices, to make some sacrifices, but it is the only path to abundant life, even though I imagine I'll never stop looking for shortcuts.