The drivers of NASCAR did not start out as professional drivers; they had to train. It takes time, patience, and dedication, in order to obtain the skills needed to drive as they do around the racetrack. Have you ever seen a minivan on the track? No!
Minivans are not built to drive or withstand the racetrack the same way as the race car. Sure, they can fit a lot of people in them; however, unlike the minivan, the race car is made to take corners and travel at high speeds around the curves. They are engineered for a different purpose; just like us. We all have a place and a purpose, we all drive differently, and we are all engineered for different things.
When a driver is on the track, they can see obstacles; they are always looking at what is behind, beside, and in front of them. They are always listening and looking so they can calculate how fast they need to go, which direction they should go, how they should steer, if they should speed up or slow down, or if they need to put on the brakes. It’s all a part of the race.
The race car driver cannot do it alone. The driver has a pit crew which is the most important part of every NASCAR driver. The pit crew makes sure the car has good tires, has not run out of gas, and that the car is in alignment. The race car will not go anywhere if the pit crew doesn’t do their job!
Sponsors pay huge amounts of money to racecar drivers; they want drivers to finish the race. They want someone to drive for them that is willing to take the risk and go the extra mile; someone to go the distance and finish!
It takes endurance! I have never seen a NASCAR race where the driver just pulled off to the side of the racetrack and quit or they just got tired of going around and around the track! NO! The ONLY reason a driver quits is because he has wrecked his car or because another driver pushed him into the rails.
If a car gets hit or if another driver knocks you up against the wall, you may be put into a tail spin; but if you can gain control of your car, you can get back in the race and recover! You are still in the race. You may not be in first place and others may have passed you by…but…you are still in the race! You finish no matter what happens.
Some of you may have been comfortable in the backseat or happy to just be a passenger; however, you are getting ready to drive!
In racing, there is a leader out in front and you follow as close as you can to the leader, almost touching their car. It is called drafting. You are so close that the wind comes off the leader car and it pulls you in closer and you don’t have to use up all of your energy or gas. It keeps you plugged into the lead car!
Don’t be afraid to get behind the leader in your life. The wind of the Holy Spirit is going to propel you and sweep over you and direct your driving. We can draft behind God and He will take us to the next place! God is still in control!
How do you recognize when you are driving? You have endurance. You overcome obstacles. You take a risk. You go the distance. You run the race. You Finish!
You may feel weary because you’ve been pushed up against the wall too many times, but God says get back in the race! There is still a race to be finished in your life! He is blowing a fresh wind and is giving you the strength to get back in and finish what He has started in you!
Hebrews 12:1 say [Jesus, the Example] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us.
Isaiah 57:13 Build, build! Make a road! Clear the way, remove the rocks from the road my people will travel.
The Father is clearing a way and removing obstacles and making the road ready for you to drive. Anyone can start, but do you have what it take to finish? It’s better to say “Oh no!” than to say “What if?”.
By Lori Singleton
