Born to be Wild

This lesson is inspired by my daily bible study, “Girlfriends in God."

Both his stature and demeanor were unimpressive to elite breeders. He was exercised with harsh tactics, under cruel restrictions and publicly dismissed by a professionally acclaimed trainer. Eventually, the horse, Seabiscuit, became a wild, bitter, and angry animal that was considered worthless to the racing world and was sold for a very small price.

The new owner, a wealthy auto salesman, hired an experienced trainer to work with the racehorse… a man who others would no longer hire… a man who, like the horse, had been beaten up by life a bit. At one low point, however, the owner felt the horse was too wild… wild with rebellion and stubbornness… too damaged to keep… untamable and unusable. The trainer, a broken outcast himself, came to the defense of Seabiscuit by protesting to his frustrated owner, “You don’t throw a whole life away just because it’s banged up a little.”

 He saw promise in the midst of their problem.

And so it should be with you and me.

In Romans 8, the apostle Paul assures us that no matter what we are up against, as followers of Jesus Christ – we are equipped in Him with all the power needed to overcome. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

This new trainer had his hands chock full of rebellion with the stallion, but he patiently and painstakingly trained him as best he could. He watched closely as the small horse raced without heart on the track, and soon identified a major problem.

“They’ve got him so screwed up running in a circle, he’s forgotten what he was born to do. He just needs to learn how to be a horse again,” he said.

So, in an effort to help the horse remember how to be a horse, the trainer had the jockey run him in open grassy fields. They took the horse back to his roots. Back to a place where space was plentiful and restrictions were but a simple fence. Back to a place of his first love: wild freedom. And by doing so, they awakened a fresh spark of purpose in the heart of Seabiscuit.

He went on to be a champion that ran like the wind.

There have been times in my life when I was so focused on limitations, distractions, doubts, and losses that I failed to see my possibilities. Times when I fixed my thoughts, my goals, my choices, and my habits on ways that led to death instead of life. Times when I lost sight of true vision – God’s awesome purpose for my life: to worship Him, to seek Him, to honor Him, and to obey Him… so that He might be glorified in and through every race I run.

Have you been there? Are you there now, sisters?

In order for Seabiscuit to run with the power and passion he was made to run with, he needed to remember that he was a wild stallion. The same is true for you and me. In order for us to live the lives we were born to live, our vision must be cast far beyond our restrictions and obstacles. Our vision must be fixed on the One who designed us to worship with wild abandoned… to live with wild freedom.

You were born to be wild, friend. Wild for Jesus. Wild with purpose. Wildly surrendered to the will of God. Wildly obedient to His commands. Wildly led by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within you.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God… Lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”

(Hebrews 12:1-2,12,13, ESV)

There are times we all struggle to see hope. Times when we want to throw in the towel, throw up our hands, and run the other way. Times when we believe our children are too far gone, our workplaces are too insufferable, our relationships are too complicated, our finances are too overwhelming, our marriages are too fragmented, and our health difficulties are too painful. What can we do in these times? Fix our eyes on God’s promises and provision instead of on our problems. 

The richest lessons of life often come from the most painful pits we pass through. Let me say that again… The richest lessons of life often come from the most painful pits we pass through. I know many of you already know my story, but let me pause for a moment to remind you. Antwan and I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in 1998 who looked JUST like his daddy. We had so much hope for this child. But little did I know that before nightfall, my baby boy would be gone to be with Jesus. I thought that I would not make it… I thought that I would die from the pain in my heart! I had often heard of people saying that they had a broken heart and thought that it was just a saying, until my baby died. I literally thought my heart would stop beating in any moment…I thought my heart was broken into a thousand pieces because of the pain I was feeling. But from this one experience, the worst experience of my life, I have learned the richest lessons… I have gained wings that no human can clip! John Piper, in his book Desiring God, said it this way, “God, in love, will use whatever trials are necessary to intensify our savoring of his glory.” Every ounce of every struggle you face can be used to bring honor and glory to God, if you will allow His grace to meet you in your weak and weary places. In Christ, and because of His perfect love… courage, hope, and strength are fully accessible each time you look to God in the midst of your problems.

Remember? You are born to be wild. Wild for Jesus. Wild with confidence and courage to press through resistance because of His faithful, redemptive love. Wild with purpose. Wildly surrendered to the will of God. Wildly obedient to His commands. Wildly led by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within you, wildly purposed to use your most painful life experiences to bring glory to God!

Take this to heart and remember who you were born to be. Believe beyond your brokenness today, knowing that God won’t throw a whole life away just cause it’s banged up a little.

Jacob was a cheater

Peter had a temper

David had an affair

Noah got drunk

Jonah ran from God

Paul was a murderer

Gideon was insecure

Miriam was a gossiper

Martha was a worrier

Thomas was a doubter

Sara was impatient

Elijah was moody

Moses stuttered

Zaccheus was short

Abraham was old

And Lazarus, he was dead…

Now, what’s YOUR excuse?

Can God use you or not?

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the CALLED!