Black Flagged

It's sure a good thing we have different rules for life than they have in auto racing.  

One rule in particular that stands out to me is the minimum speed rule.  I'm no racing professional, so forgive me if I don't have the details just perfect on this, but I believe there is a rule in NASCAR that states that if you can't maintain the minimum speed on the track, the officials wave a black flag and you have to remove yourself from the race or face fines and/or penalties.  

Let's say a driver (we'll call him "Rusty") is really doing well.  He's been in the front pack most of the day and has led a lap or two.  Late in the race, there's a "big one" that causes damage to a lot of the cars, including his.  He takes his car to the pit area during the caution period and his crew starts banging out fenders, changing tires, making whatever repairs they can to keep Rusty in the race.  He reenters the race along with all the other drivers, but he notices right away that there is something wrong with fourth gear.  He can only use first, second, and third gear.  He can only run 165 m.p.h. when the other cars are running at nearly 200 m.p.h.  He notices the black flag waving, and his crew chief calls him on the radio and says he has to come into the garage because the officials have determined he can't maintain the minimum speed, so he can't be on the track.  The rule really is there for the safety of the drivers.  Allowing one slow moving object to stand in front of forty-two fast moving objects is just asking for big trouble.  But that's auto racing, not life.

Rusty now has no chance of winning this race, and he'll be hard pressed to even finish once they start disassembling his car.  Points are lost, tempers flare, reputations are on the line, sponsors are wringing their hands in anxious anticipation.  Oh, and by the way, no one can even tell who was at fault for the wreck that started it all.  

Imagine the same rule being applied to your life.  You get a good job.  You meet the right man or woman, get married, start a family, and make the right choices.  You're running with the lead pack for a long time.  But then let's say there's a crisis in your family.  A family member dies.  Everything is in chaos for a time, then nothing seems right after that.  Life is a chore to deal with during that time, so you flounder a little bit.  Maybe you even stray from what you know is right because you don't know how to manage your feelings.  You drift far from God.  You become damaging to those around you and to yourself.  And then you're told that you're chance has come and gone.  Since you can't keep up, you're not allowed to be a Christian any more.  You're not eligible for salvation any more.  Even though you aren't to blame for the events leading up to now, you're still the one who will pay the price.

My God is a God of second chances.  My God will let you keep running.  He wants you to keep running.  He doesn't care about minimum speeds because He knows we all run at a different pace.  He's the chief that says in your ear "don't worry about finishing first today....just know that no matter what, I'm here to help you finish - period."   He's a God who somehow gives you fuel to last longer than you should be able to - even in the worst conditions.  He's a God who just wants you in the race because He is the One standing at the finish line.  His son, Jesus Christ is the prize.  We win by finishing, not by finishing first.  All he wants from us is for us to stay in the race.  He knows we'll need to keep working on the vehicle.  He knows sometimes we'll be right up front, charging forward, leading the way.  But he also knows we'll get a lap down sometimes.  He doesn't care.  He just wants us in the race.

As for the life He offers......the black flags, the penalties, have all been paid.  He put His only son here to take the penalties for our sins so that we can focus on staying in the race.  

What does that mean?  Put your helmet on.  Put your gloves on.  Put your fire protective suit on.  It's all the armor of God.  Drop the visor and hang on.  We're built to finish.  We just need to refocus.

Let's go racin' boys.

Peace, 

Mike

Leaning Over the Wheel

Thursday was one of the foggiest days I can remember.  Ever.  I was making deliveries in our "big truck" Thursday morning and I just couldn't believe how hard it was to see.  Driving a large, heavy vehicle in conditions like that made me a little nervous.  At one point, I caught myself leaning all the way forward, up over the steering wheel, squinting to see oncoming traffic, signals, and road signs.  It occurred to me that there have been times in my life that felt like that, too.

I think that when our focus shifts from Godly things and our attention is pulled toward living instead of life itself, we find ourselves in a fog like that.  Sometimes, when it's just a small distraction, you can just look around a little bit harder and still find your way fairly easily.  But sometimes, even when we really want our lives centered around God we get really distracted and we find ourselves in a situation like the fog on Thursday.  As I leaned over the wheel, I found myself reacting to things immediately.  A stop sign would suddenly appear and I would jump on the brakes.  Or I'd see oncoming headlights and I'd hit the brakes and move a little farther toward the edge of the road.  When I think about living life like that, I feel a little sick.  I remember times when I was far from God and I could look no farther than what was happening right now in my life.  All I could do is react to things as they came up, and sometimes that's a little overwhelming.

An added variable that I experienced that day was the result of temperatures hovering around freezing.  As the fog fell on the roads, it formed an invisible layer of ice.  This was not even "black ice" as we experience here so often.  There was no sheen, no reflection...it was totally hidden....like a trap.  But I drove.  I drove excruciatingly slow.  I leaned over the wheel and freaked every time I saw movement ahead of me.  I turned the radio down.  I stopped sipping my coffee.  All I could do is lean forward and take it, whatever "it" was.

That's a terrible way to live.  Not the driving part, I really enjoy that part of my job.  But to live a life that consists of nothing more than squinting to see what your next problem is going to be just isn't spiritually healthy.  Nor is it what God intended for us.

Later that day I looked outside and saw the rain falling.  February rain in Indiana is no real shocker.  In fact, we have a lot of those days and normally they make me feel a little down and maybe a little sleepy.  But as I watched the rain that particular day, it occurred to me that the rain had cleared the fog, and had also washed the thin film of ice from the roads.  How ironic....on a cloudy afternoon in February, the rain actually washed away the perils of the morning.  Visibility was fine....all the schools were back in session.  God had showed up for me in a most interesting way.

So if you find yourself leaning forward more often than you'd like, or if you're always squinting to try to see what trouble life is getting ready to give you, or if you just feel like you can't find your way through the fog in your life, remember this:  God gave us Jesus Christ for a reason.  God gave us Jesus so that in our times of confusion or fogginess we can call on Him.  He'll come....He'll clear the way for us.  In fact, He already has.  In our times of fear, sadness, desperation, anger, or dread....we can call on Jesus.  He doesn't promise us a lifetime of sunny days.  But there's healing and clarity....even in the rain that will surely come.  Just don't forget to call on Him when things are really great, too.  He likes to hear "thank you" just as much as we do.  

Living will always have its challenges, so it's in vain that we focus on happy living.  Instead, let's praise the One who created life itself, and find joy in the offering of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Peace,

Mike