Eight Belles v. Big Brown

Big Brown

I watched the Kentucky Derby yesterday. The favorite was Big Brown. He's only had 3 starts(meaning: he's only raced in actual races against other horses 3 times) and had won each race. The Kentucky Derby would be his 4th race. He drew the gate farthest to the outside and no matter how great you are, that can be a death sentence. Consider all of the commotion at the race track, new ground, the adjustment from travel and put that on top of a really young horse with little experience and it's a gamble.

Then, there was Eight Belles. The reason she attracted so much attention was that she was a girl. The only girl in the race. It's been a lotta years since any filly has won the Derby. She was built very slight, and had terrible odds. However, because she was a filly, she had captured some media coverage.

The horses broke clean at the gate and made good time around the track. Halfway through the race, Big Brown was in 17th place. The jockey rode really well, pulled him from the outside and garnered a spot closer to the rail. Big Brown cruised past the other horses and took the win by 5 lengths. He was hardly blowing after the race and was so fresh he tossed his jockey during his cooldown! It was cake for him.

What about Eight Belles? The little filly came in second! Her odds were 20-1 and despite the odds, she gave a great showing. She ran her little guts out. After her remarkable race, Eight Belles was loping her cool out lap when both of her front ankels snapped. She was put down 5 minutes later. No one noticed because all eyes were on the winner. I didn't read about it until the evening news. This little filly, with terrible odds, came back to a strong second only to lose her life.

What does this matter? Horses are put down daily on the track (it's true). This is what I learned as I pondered this event:

There are lots of Big Browns in the world. People who take off from the gate strong, make it seem easy and don't seem any worse for the wear. They conquer the tough times, get dinner on the table, smile through tradegy, serve endlessly and hardly break a sweat. Then, there are the Eight Belles. The underdog or regular guys who work hard, run hard, give all they've got and come in 2nd. What's important in this lesson is to know that we are not measured by how we run against Big Brown. We are measured against what our individual potential is. If we only see who's in front of us, we'll always feel inadequate. Sometimes, it's easy for the Big Brown's to get the limelight, the kudos, but the Lord does not forget the hard working "fillies" who are running their guts out to do what is right.

The Lord only expects us to run as fast as we can. We don't want to chase the winner and end up crippling ourselves. The only reason we should feel as if something is lacking in our efforts is if WE know we can do better. If we can be Big Brown's, we should aspire to that. But, if we're doing all that we can, we should have peace in our hearts about our efforts. Never should what the other guy is doing be our marker for success. Each of us is here for a specific purpose. The only one who can fulfill your measure of creation is you! So even if wonderwoman or the "perfect" husband or family next door seems to be doing all that is right, no one can do what you are here to do on this Earth. No one can make the same differences or the same impact. So, when you're feeling inadequate think of little Eight Belles. She came from behind and made a great showing. She gave all she could. That is all the Lord every asks of us and that is what we should expect from ourselves. Nothing more, nothing less.