Lent #8: Seabiscuit and Spirituality

Have you seen the movie Seabiscuit? It's the story of an undersized, damaged racehorse...trained by a 'washed up' trainer and ridden by a young man who had been abandoned by his parents as a young boy during the Depression. I happened to stumble upon it last night on TV, and was reminded of a quote that I think is the most powerful of the entire move:

"You don't throw a whole life away just it's banged up a little." -Tom

Truthfully, there is not a single one of us who isn't "banged up a little"...it's the inevitable reality of life. We make mistakes...large and small...people hurt us...we're treated badly in the workplace...we confront illness and death and grief...and we are...all of us...banged up.

The beauty of Seabiscuit's story is a mirror to us all. Redemption comes to everyone who has the heart to receive it...sometimes in the most suprising ways! The Psalmist says,

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eye saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

God knows you...and your story...from the end to the beginning, and all of the parts in between. Whether you're banged up or not, your life is precious to him, and the power of God's mercy and love will one day redeem every wound. He can and will restore beauty from the ugliest of ashes.

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