Secretariat

The pastor referenced a race horse.  "Secretariat".  I'm pausing to Google, before I continue with this blog..... cause I had never heard of this horse, nor had I heard of the movie....and I can't remember the info. the pastor used.

"The trainer of Secretariat foretold of him, before he had ever raced- that he would win the Triple Crown- something that had not been done in almost 25 years."

(Amazing what a person's faith can accomplish, isn't it?  More so- it's incredible that this trainer 'spoke'  victory into this horse, way before the horse was even old enough to  race.)

A key point that had a deep impact on me during the sermon was one that concerned 'the heart'.
The pastor pointed out the importance of 'having heart', using Secretariat's estimated heart weight as 22 pounds in comparison to that of a standard 8.5 pound horse heart.
The size of the horse's heart determined it's strength, and stamina, and ability to 'win the race'.

He said that the key to "not giving" up is in the heart.
Basic (layman's) terms- the heart needs to be free.  Not bound up.

I had an image of a heart, wrapped tightly in binding tape.
Bound up from strife, and struggle, and hardship upon hardship....
This heart wasn't able to run a race- much less FINISH the race. (2 Timothy 4:7)

 The pastor said something like 'the only way for the heart to be free... is through Jesus Christ'.

Wait?!
Where are my notes?

 I wrote down something that put this truth into less 'standardized' terms.
Of course, we all know that the only way to be free from anything is through Jesus.
Something else came to my paper through my scraggly writing, though.  I can't remember what it said:
But it was a total NON cliche'.

It put this image into full animation:

A heart,
Bound up... with binding tape.
The heart doesn't know it's bound
until the binding begins to constrict the heart's ability to beat.
There is a loose piece of binding;
It can be pulled, and unwrapped....
But the heart has to allow it.
And only One Hand can pull off the binding.
The heart realizes the strain it's under; and it surrenders itself to The Hand
Gently, the hand comes down, and pulls the binding.
But the binding isn't removed all together-
It has to be a slow, steady release... lest the heart be overwhelmed.
The heart begins to feel freedom, though it knows it is still bound
(in this- I found a realization that my bound-up-heart is becoming free...
but The Lord in His sovereignty, is requiring my patience- lest I become overwhelmed).
When The Hand is certain the heart can handle it, It removes all of the binding
Setting the heart free.  Completely.
And the heart is now able to run the race.
As it grows into it's new found freedom- it will soon be strong enough to finish the race.