Testing God - Nosey By Nature

I wish I didn’t know as much about breakdowns as I do. But the many and varied positions that I have filled on the track brought me in contact with them over and over.

Working on the backside with the horses during the 80s and 90s, it became more and more common during the races to see the ‘meat wagon’ headed over to pick up a DNF (Did Not Finish) on the day’s card. Sometimes the animal came off the trailer lame; others were winched off dead and left in the area designated for carcass removal.

Back in the day, cheaper tracks were where you would find the majority of breakdowns. That was because the horses with the majority of the problems could be found running on the ‘bottom,’ at the lower claiming levels.

One of my earlier jobs on the ‘frontside’ of the track was in the press box, high atop the grandstand. My task was operating the section of the tote board that posts changes, results and congratulations to the connections of the winning horses. Eventually, I joined the PR department and my duties were expanded to include writing the feature race wrap-up every day.

This birds’ eye perch also housed the chart callers and writers from Equibase and the Daily Racing Form, the track announcer, the photo finish guy and the stewards, who officiated over all races.

Nosey as I am, I loved working in this racetrack nerve center. With radios that could be tuned to the frequencies of everyone from the track maintenance crew to the ambulance drivers, we were among the first to know everything. I could even keep an eye on Jerry (with binoculars) who was at that time training horses in the morning and working on the starting gate during the races.

It was up to the stewards to keep track of riding infractions during a race, and dole out punishments if the jockeys’ actions warranted them. They are the high court of racing, and anyone that holds a racing license in their jurisdiction is must answer to them.

When a problem arose in a race, the guys down in the video room were contacted to queue up the race in question while the stewards deliberated. It would play over and over, from a variety of angles—side view, head-on, slow-mo. And so it was when there was a breakdown.

Daily Notes: I am really, really struggling with telling this story—perhaps that is evident as it has greatly slowed down my blogging. The happy, funny stuff comes easily, but watching this video back in the interest of giving an accurate description has been difficult.

As far as tithing goes, I am happy to report that ‘mind over money’ has taken place. Before I started this test, I think I was of the mindset that when I tithed, I was somehow doing something noble. I was giving away something of mine, and therefore should be commended. I felt pretty proud of myself when I put a check in the collection plate, as if I had really done something for God. (Hey, just for grins, check out the number of times I said “I” in this paragraph!)

But the interesting thing is, once I finally wrapped my noggin around the idea that 10% (at least!) of “my” money doesn’t even belong to me, my whole attitude when I drop that check in the plate has changed.

I take that money off the top, and find myself wishing it could be much more. Right now, it would seem that that will need to remain a wish. And that’s where the devil, and Rich Toward God’s number 4 and 5 reasons for a delayed harvest come in:

Motivation—The rich fool is proof enough of this reason. We must always see financial blessing as an additional way to grow in giving, too.

This one is no problem for me. As I stated above, I am motivated!

Satan—I know some of you reading this right now are definitely in this situation. You are following God, faithful to him in every way that you can be, but are still facing hardship. Who do you think might be trying to stop you? Obviously, when you take steps of faith in any area, the enemy will oppose you. The more you do right, the more he will want to derail you. So, stay on your guard and take your stand. Four times in Ephesians 6: 11-14, we are told that when the day of evil arrives, we are to stand—stand against the devil’s schemes, stand our ground, and after everything else is done to stand, and to stand firm. Do you think the Lord is trying to get a crucial message across? Don’t back up. Don’t give in. Stand. The Lord will provide the grace and power for victory.

Hee hee. Yup. This is where I am right now. Bathroom gutted. Fence in need of repair. Car needs tires, and the crap truck has developed an oil leak. I guess at close to 300,000 miles, that's not so unual. Porch roof has developed an odd leak, too. And the bills, oy vey! Oh, yeah. Tax time. I’m not belly-aching, though. My problems remind me of a current country song—Sounds Like Life To Me. To be honest, my problems are so small compared to those of others, but as Dr. Hood points out, this is what is to be expected when you take steps towards God.

So the obvious question from those readers who are not Christians would be “why in the world would anyone do this?”

I think it is equally obvious to the Christian readers that taking these steps is a no-brainer. Having faith that if God has “brought us to it, he’ll bring us through it,” our prayer is that God’s will be done. Because throughout this testing, we’re getting stronger and stronger in our faith. Just ask Job.

This back in the day pic is of one of our grooms, John Sullivan, just after Jerry and I were married. He's pictured here with Smokey, our beautiful paint stable pony.