How Will You Run?

Everyone is called to run—but not everyone is called to run the same way. Some races demand tight turns and careful pacing; others require nothing more than the freedom to run straight with everything you have. Trouble comes when we judge success by the wrong course, forcing ourselves—or others—into patterns God never designed for them. The question is not can you run, but how will you run?

Years ago, my friend TD brought a couple of horses with her to college. Along with a full course load came daily responsibility—feeding, haying, and exercising them. During that semester, I helped with chores and at times exercised Lonesome, a horse she was training for barrel racing.

Lonesome was a striking sorrel with a white blaze and a couple of white socks. He wasn’t especially tall, but he was well built and boasted an excellent race pedigree. TD’s dad had a keen eye for quality horses, and Lonesome had all the physical markers of a great barrel horse.

Training a barrel horse requires repetition without burnout, consistent correction, and patience to build trust. Like people, horses have a dominant side—right or left—especially in speed events that require tight turns. Most barrel horses run the cloverleaf pattern starting to the right, but Lonesome flexed better to the right, so he ran to the left barrel first.

Because I had owned left‑pattern horses, I usually rode him. He handled lead changes beautifully and was a joy to ride—except for one problem. He seemed to run at the barrels with the nocuous intent. In those days, barrels were made of metal, not the flexible plastic used today. A collision wasn’t just a penalty—it could cost a kneecap. No matter what we tried, Lonesome seemed to prefer to running straight over the barrel rather than turn. We suspected he ran so fast to the first barrel that when we checked him for the turn, he leaned into the bit instead of yielding.

Eventually, TD took Lonesome home. Her dad noticed that he pinned his ears while running—a common sign of discomfort. They tried everything: different gear, various bits, veterinary exams. Nothing explained his resistant to turn or solved it. Then one day, after watching him closely, TD’s dad said,“I think he just likes to run straight… and I’m not sure he’ll ever like to turn.”

That insight changed everything.

Through connections with professional steer wrestlers, Lonesome was purchased and retrained as a dogging horse. He started as a hazing horse and quickly became a primary mount in the arena. In time, he advanced to the PRCA and became highly sought after mount. Lonesome had finally found what he was created to do… running strait.

The Divine Lesson

On paper, Lonesome had everything needed to succeed as a barrel horse—pedigree, build, speed, and training. By every external measure, he should have excelled. There was only one problem: he hated to turn.

We see this same reality in athletics. A cross‑country runner is built for endurance, not sprinting. A sprinter thrives on explosive speed, not distance. And only those who love hurdles become hurdlers. Success isn’t just about ability—it’s about design, desire, and calling. The same is true in the Kingdom of God.

God may give many people similar gifts, but He places unique callings within each heart. Our experiences, passions, and spiritual burdens shape where those gifts are meant to be used.

I once worked part‑time at a veterinary hospital, sometimes assisting during surgeries. One day, my friend Mike was operating and he shared his plans to serve as a missionary in Africa. I laughed and told him that as a little girl I used to pray, “God, if You want me to be a missionary, please don’t send me to Africa—it’s too far from home.” He smiled and said something I’ve never forgotten:“If God wanted you in Africa, He would place such a strong desire in your heart that you couldn’t do anything else.”

Application

Too often, individuals—and churches—make decisions based solely on visible talent: “This is what I’m good at, so this must be where I belong.” But gifting alone does not determine calling. God has called each of us to run a race—but not all races are the same.

You may have the ability to run and turn, but God may be calling you to run straight. In Chariots of Fire movie, Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

Are you serving in a way that allows you to feel His pleasure?

Do not allow others—or even your own assumptions—to push you into running and turning when God has created and called you to run straight. Seek where He has placed your passion and feel His pleasure as you faithfully do the work, He has called you to.