“BACK IN THE DAY, YOU HAD TO DO LIKE EVERYTHING– DIRT TRACK, ROAD RACE, TT, SHORT TRACK, MILE, 1/2 MILE… WHEN I WAS A YOUNG KID, I WAS KIND OF A SPORTS FREAK. I LIKED PLAYING BASEBALL, AND PLAYING FOOTBALL– BUT THEN EVERYONE GOT BIG AND I STAYED SMALL… THEN, PLAYING BASEBALL, I GOT HIT IN THE HEAD WITH THE BAT– AND I THOUGHT, MAN THIS IS NOT IT! SO, I’D SEEN A COUPLE [MOTORCYCLE] RACES, AND SOME PICTURES IN MAGAZINES, AND I THOUGHT– WELL, I WANT TO DO THAT, YOU KNOW! THEN, IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT A GUY CAME INTO TOWN AND HAD A BIKE THAT NEEDED A RIDER…”
Once upon a time, to wear the AMA #1 plate in racing you had to be an all
around champion rider. It took dirt tracks, both short and the mile, TT, and
road racing over various distances. Back in the golden age of On Any Sunday,
racers raced to win, many times sleeping in the bed of their old pickups,
carrying around both dirt and track bikes with them. They were their own tuner,
and many times after racing on Sunday, had to hurry home so they could go to
work on Monday morning, an 8-5 job, just to pay the rent, support a family, and
then go racing again next week. Any monies won would help support the
addiction, and maybe allow them to Supersize their meal after the race if they
did well enough. Before the race you would find them in the pits, handing tools
to their mechanic if they had one, walking the track, or resting from
exhaustion. Racing may be on weekends, but life demanded all of you all week.
It was a time of racing to win, and if any trophies or prize money was involved,
that was nice too, but you raced to win.....
A far cry from today, as AMA racing has been broken down in to multiple
segments from motocross, endurocross, supercross, road racing, and the dirt
track. Today we have champions in each class, before to win the #1 plate you
had to be good in all. Today before races we find the racers sitting in air
conditioned coaches watching race films, tuners doing last minute adjustments,
or downloading software, and sponsors making sure they have enough shirts and
hats to go around. Umbrella girls await them so they are shielded from the sun
at the start, and they still race to win, to win big contracts from sponsors,
but they race to win the championships, and many times just for a podium finish,
for more sponsor money. Race doctors await them if hurt, where once somebody’s
dad, just a little more than a man with a first aid kit who loves racing
volunteered, and every moment at the race is choreographed, the addiction is to
win the championship. A far cry from when winning every race was the goal, and
racing to win meant that day. If you won enough, you would be the champ and
wear #1 for a year, if not, you still raced, it was in your blood. It was in
the glory days of On Any Sunday that one Gary Nixon, plate #9 raced, and he
greeted his fellow racers before each race the same, “which one of you losers is
gonna finish second today?” He didn’t care who finished second, just that he
finished first, all they all finished behind him. A racer’s racer who finally
won the coveted #1 plate later in life, after many broken bones, bodies, and
motorcycles had interrupted his quest along the way. Winning was everything,
long before Vince Lombardi said it was the only thing, and the race before them
that day was the most important. It was where slow racers on fast bikes lost,
but fast racers on slow bikes would win, the best example I saw myself was July
4th, 1976 at the Fairgrounds in Albuquerque. The Mile had come to town, and
watching Kenny Roberts on an underpowered Yamaha pass all racers in the corners
at 120 mph, then being passed in the straights by more powerful bikes, showed me
how the desire to win despite all odds was the mark of a champion. He didn’t
race for second, he raced to win, second place was just first loser. He raced
for the #1 plate, which meant winning races. Which meant racing against Gary
Nixon, and the other heroes of On Any Sunday. Today sadly racing to win has a
new meaning, and many race just to finish, with not even a dream of winning.
And society has helped, as from schools to sports to jobs we have become dumbed
down. Where we all get t-shirts just for showing up, and no one goes home with
the trophy. Isn’t that special?
Racing teaches us many things, and the desire to win is one of them. Works
in life, works at work, and it works in church. At least some think it does. I
get bored and annoyed when talking with men at church who are more interested
“did you read the latest book about prayer? About ministering? About healing?
About how to start a small group?” When they are left short, yet consumed by
what they read. Churches for them have become places to see if the pastor is up
to speed on the latest, or even if his book is selling. Special speakers, guest
speakers disguised as celebrities, and big name events dictate their walk. They
are looking for that one secret ingredient, that one thing hidden and hopefully
the guest speaker has it. After all, he is successful, so he must know the
secret. And yet, try their success story after buying the book, and end up
worse off. And their wallet lighter. They lose any hope of winning their race
in life, and just hope to finish the day, so they can face tomorrow. Their
shelves are lined with books meant to change their lives, their radio presets
all to KWVE, and don’t go anywhere without a Bible. But sadly they travel
alone, for they fail to take the one thing, the one ingredient to success with
them, the Holy Spirit. They have bought into a false doctrine, that being a
Christian means you must be successful, that losing may mean sin in your life,
and it is up to your participation to be a winner. Yet nowhere does God tell us
to be successful, only faithful. We all get to carry the #1 plate when we come
to Jesus. And scripture tells us we race to win the race, which often times may
show up in short courses daily, but it is an endurance race to the end. And to
finish first, you must first finish. It takes Jesus, the one thing missing from
all the help books and how to lessons to be faithful. It takes the person, not
a thing, and it must be personal. It is more than Bible covers, decals,
t-shirts, Bible studies, and church. It is something daily that is in you, and
that you cannot keep in. It is like racing, you might not be the fastest, and
in some instances you go less slow. But you race to win, you look forward to
the upward calling of Jesus, and the final reward of heaven. And in heaven, no
one will care about what books, what races, or even what trophies you won. No
endorsement contracts, and no podium finishes. The Holy spirit along with
Jesus, and God our Father will be the podium finish we all seek.
“Which one of you losers is gonna finish second today?” may be an attitude,
but one we need to embrace. Not pridefully, but lovingly, as we seek to win the
race today. But only in Christ, by the Spirit. Not by strength, not by power,
but by God’s spirit lest any of us should boast. We cannot win salvation, we
can not win without Jesus. But yet we all run the race of life, which is maybe
why we call it the human race. We all race for something, when we just need to
turn to Jesus and let him lead us. Today we all face tough tracks, other
racers, and prizes that sound good, but lead us astray. Paul told us to be all
things to all men, but he knew that the only all that mattered, and the only
all worth having was Jesus. Who took all our sin upon himself, who won the race
so we can too. Who celebrates every time someone turns from sin, and to him,
and becomes a real champion. Long before winning was the only thing, there was
Jesus. So follow his lead today, and go make disciples. He is still the only
thing.
Show others how to equip others, that they may equip others. Following the
lead of Jesus, going in love. Race to win as if you had everything to lose, and
nothing to gain. Which one of us losers once raced just to finish? In Christ
we have won the title, today we run the race. No guest speaker, no celebrity,
and no self help book will get you where you need to go. Only Jesus is the
way. Some will sign contracts for contingency monies, only Jesus has made a
covenant with us for eternal life. We win, but still must finish. Sorry, no
umbrella girls included. Once upon a time there was religion, now winners have
Jesus.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com