It has been said of many racers, they know that it is time to quit racing
when they don’t enjoy it anymore. Translation meaning when they quit winning or
lose their sponsorship. But many today don’t know when to quit, and sadly their
last race turns out to be their last race. But it is the wise ones who know
when to quit and move on with life. When an overwhelming sense of common
engulfs them, and they retire while they can still walk, form sentences, or sign
autographs. Many have also quit early when they see the toll that racing takes
on their body and their families. For the winners, it takes a 24/7 commitment,
and even sleeping they dream of corners they could have taken faster, and how to
not make the same mistakes again in the next race. They live to get every last
mph out of their rides, pushing the limits until the limits push back, and
either a wall or an infield calls to them and they answer. Winning is an
obsession with them, and when the spark goes out, they know it is time to hang
it up. When they just don’t enjoy it anymore. But what do you do after the
thrill is gone?
Many will show up in broadcast booths, or doing product endorsements. Some
return to their hometown, heroes and start a racing business, some building,
some advising, or some just living on their name. The races are over, but the
lime light and checkered flag of fame still feeds their ego, and they cannot let
go. But some just fade away into obscurity, “hey wasn’t that so and so, wasn’t
he fast, a racer?” And some will remember, while others never forget. Wondering
is the glass half full or half empty, when really it is just a poorly engineered
glass.
But the sad ones are those who don’t quit when they should, the ego is
bigger, or there is still money to be made, and they race until they die.
Leaving a legacy they never get to enjoy, and a family left to pick up the
pieces afterwards. The Byrds once sang Turn, Turn, Turn, quoting Ecclesiastes
as there is a time for everything, life, death, and the time we spend most of
our time in, right now. There is a season, and a time appointed to everything.
A time to start, and a time to finish, and as all racers know, to finish first,
you must first finish. Words to live by no matter the race, human or other.
Paul talks of finishing the race, of life, which is not a sprint, but one of
endurance. Not a series where points are gathered towards a championship, but a
race that a life that is raced to win. No one sets out to finish second or
third, but makes preparation for fuel stops, tire changes, and pit crews
prepared for everything. They just drive, and hope the team is ready when
needed. Too many of us live our lives like that. We start out strong in
Christ, and then a tragedy comes along, and we fall back on our teaching instead
of Jesus. We turn to friends for advice, instead of the wonderful counselor He
is. We look to see where we failed, hoping to blame someone else, but when it
falls on us, we turn away. We leave grace behind, and try to earn back our
reputation, our position, or our pride by doing good, doing things to make God
happy, as if we could ever make God love us more than He already does. We build
bigger motors, train harder, and do all the things the world tells us to do, but
we neglect God, the one who saved us and the one who continues to guide us even
when we fail or go astray. We might even do a post tragedy review, and then
lean on our own understanding. Withdrawing from God, when we should be drawing
closer to Him. And at some point the fire goes out, and we are worse off than
before we were saved. Miserable, seeking and not finding, yet knowing God is
still there, He has left us, and not turning to Him. Everyone else can see it,
why can’t we?
Worse yet are the ones who loved God early, but when the thrill is gone,
when they are not the center of attention, when they are forced to take a back
seat to God, turn away. They loved the attention, and others loved them, looked
to them, but now they are miserable, “God doesn’t work,” for if He did, why am I
so miserable? Why am I not the center of attention? Why didn’t I get my way, I
prayed? To them God is only a podium finish, a way to get things they want, a
genie in a lamp who they call on when they want something. God is their
co-pilot, they never gave Him the control, and when the thrill is gone, turn
inward instead of to Jesus. Some of the saddest people I meet are friends who
once walked with God, but when He couldn’t keep up with them, they abandoned
Him. And leaving us with the impression that something is wrong with us, what
is our problem, why are we still trusting God, didn’t you lose your job, didn’t
you get divorced, didn’t you get caught and arrested? If you fall into the
latter category, you are in good company, for we all fall short of God’s glory,
but because of His grace and mercy, we are able to carry on. The thrill went
deeper than emotions, we loved Him because He loved us first, and we learn to
follow the spirit, instead of having the spirit follow us. We have learned to
draft Jesus, and that the race is over when He says, not when the flag drops.
We race to the end, an endurance race, and some days we finish first, some days
last, and some we DNF. But we know we ultimately win the final race, and a
podium finish awaits us in heaven. For heaven is filled with losers who
realized it, and gave it all to Jesus. The finish being more important than the
position, the prize being won, all we did was run in it.
Where are you on the track of life today? Are you still in the race, or
have you been black flagged for rule infractions? Have you lost interest, or
become a victim of too many crashes? Is the thrill of knowing Jesus a thing of
the past, or is it fresh everyday? Do you still hang onto Jesus after all these
years, knowing what is ahead, and sharing what was behind? Have you threatened
to quit, yet He held onto you so you wouldn’t give up? And I your poium
finishes, do you share them with Him? On the cross, Jesus was the original
podium finish-He finished first, and declared so from the cross. One thief
placed second, and still made it to heaven. He drafted Jesus to the end, He
knew the place to finish to was more important than his place to finish in.
Yet the other thief DNFed, when it came time to make a crucial decision, he hit
the wall. No more races, no more excuses. His final race ended in tragedy, and
yet we remember him today.
Look to the cross to see where you will finish, and also to where you
should live today. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. It worked at
the cross, and still works today. Hang in there, eternity is coming. it is a
sure thing-to those who believe and endure. Ask either thief, both will tell
you the truth. But only one believed. For him the thrill never ended, for the
other it never begun. God knows the time and the season, He knows so you won’t
have to. Just stay the course, see you at the finish line.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com