Sankey Rodeo Schools
and
Equipment
With all the success I had in rodeo, I thought I ought to be happy. However, for many years no matter how great my achievements, I never seemed to experience any real or lasting joy from my success.
I set and achieved goals of competing at the National Little Britches Rodeo Finals, the National High School Rodeo Finals, and the College National Finals Rodeo. I won a state championship and a go round at the CNFR. My goal became to compete at the National Finals Rodeo, the most prestigious rodeo in the world.
I qualified for the NFR in 1976, after suffering a late year injury that took away my all around chances and kept me out of the bull riding. The next year I was in the standings in all three of my events, only to suffer a major knee injury that kept me home from the NFR, and the awards and recognition that came with it. I couldn’t understand how God could be so unfair. “Why did this have to happen to me?” I thought.
The only answer I could think of was to totally commit myself to a comeback effort. I was breaking all my previous records, and seemed a sure bet to qualify for the finals in at least two events, with another chance for all around honors. But that dream was shattered again by still another series of injuries, through this time I did qualify for the finals in the bull riding event. Again, I felt empty and defeated, even thought I’d fulfilled the dream of thousands of young cowboys.
It wasn’t until 1980 that I began to realize there was more to life than gold buckles and statistics. It came through an understanding that God cared about me. He cared so much for me that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for everything I’ve ever done wrong. If I wanted true joy in life, it would come by representing Jesus Christ in my rodeo competition.
With that new perspective, I began to see any success was important only if it brought glory to God. I was acting as an ambassador for Jesus Christ in every competition I entered as well as in my business.
I still had setbacks, even though I did qualify for the National Finals in two events, I failed to win a single event or all-around championship. But this time, I didn’t experience any feelings of failure. There were no regrets, no feelings that I’d wasted another year. I had a new goal; to represent Christ in my efforts and actions regardless of the outcome. I left the results up to God and therefore was able to accept whatever happened.
I now have an ever-increasing desire to help young people see the importance of keeping God first in their lives. I realize that real joy comes through my relationship with Jesus Christ and that has eliminated the pressure of competition.
I still struggle with selfish desires and ambitions, but I know how to overcome them. The Bible tells me, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men”1. If my goal is to be the best I can be for Christ, then I will be more effective in my effort, because I’ll be concentrating on improving with each attempt, rather than measuring my success by wins or losses. Now every effort in the arena or in business is a chance to grow and improve for Christ.
There are many other things that excite me about being a Christian. They are outlined in the Bible, and I’d like to share a few of them with you, with the hope that they will encourage you to discover the same truth I’ve found.
First, I know I am forgiven: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”2
Second, even though I’m forgiven, I will have problems. But God uses those problems to help me mature and become a better person. The Apostle James explains it this way: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and compete, lacking in nothing.”3
The Bible also makes a tremendous promise that we can trust God with all our questions and problems. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”4
Finally, what excites me most is the fact that God loves each and every one of us, and He proved His love in the most dramatic way possible. This last verse I’m quoting is well known, but we can never hear it too many times: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”5
In my life there’s no question that I will never have the joy and happiness I want solely through my rodeo accomplishments, or anything else. That can only come through my relationship with God through Jesus Christ. You too can experience that joy. Trust God and accept the love He has made available through His Son Jesus Christ.
1 Colossians 3:23; 2 Ephesians 1:7; 3 James 1:2-4; 4 Proverbs 3:5-6; 5 John 3:16