The Race

The world promises us instant gratification, but will not always deliver. It has been said that the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint, but we can be confident of God's work in and through us. Hebrews 12 can challenge us:
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The attitude that we can possess as believers rooted in Christ is to pursue God and develop perseverance - God doesn't always answer in our time frame, but we have to adapt to His and not grow impatient when His timing is different that ours or the way He moves is not the way that we might expect.  We do not order Him to do anything, but He orders our steps so that in all things He receives the glory.

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God calls us to be faithful and to follow Him wholeheartedly. If we are standing faithful in Him, we can trust Him to grow the fruit that He desires, in His time and in His way. Philippians 3 reminds us:
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Zero for 357.

That was the record for NASCAR driver Michael McDowell going into this past Sunday's Daytona 500. The journeyman driver was in his 13th season and has continued to persevere.  Sunday night, at the conclusion of a rain-delayed race, he was in Victory Lane.

Faithwire pointed out the faith of this long-time driver, stating that the driver...

...narrowly dodged a fiery crash to take the lead during the final lap of the race, earning the win and a spot in the playoffs this fall, according to Sports Spectrum.

Following the race, he said experiencing the coveted win was just what he imagined it would be like.

He was quoted on the NASCAR.com website: "I just can’t believe it...I’ve just got to thank God. So many years just grinding it out and hoping for an opportunity like this. I’m just so thankful – God is good.”

An earlier Sports Spectrum article quotes the driver: 

“I’m passionate about people coming to know Christ,” McDowell said recently on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “Part of that is just a realization that you’re either alive in Christ or you’re dead. There’s no in-between.”

McDowell came to Christ through the witness of some of his racing mentors.  And, he is now influencing his fellow drivers.  After the race Sunday, Aric Almirola tweeted out:

@Mc_Driver has become one of my closest friends over the last few years. He got me involved in the @FollowMRO Bible study. He is an incredible human being and loves the Lord with all his heart. I am so happy for him and his family. Fun to see good things happen to good people.

MRO is the acronym for Motor Racing Outreach. And, McDowell was involved in an effort that raised over $20,000 for that organization - after he crashed into driver Bubba Wallace in a race that would have sent Wallace to the All-Star race, Wallace reacted strongly and took the bumper from his car that had been removed in the wreck and put it in McDowell's garage, to which Michael responded on Twitter, according to CBSSports.com:

Thank you @BubbaWallace for the gift. Hopefully we can raise a lot of money for @FollowMRO. They are a CHRISTIAN ministry that has loved and served our @NASCAR community for over 30 years.

Wallace tweeted out:

When life gives you lemons, auction them off and raise money for @FollowMRO. May not agree to what happened on track, but we can agree on a positive outcome from the situation.

You could say that McDowell's racing career has had a lot of lemons - his first victory in over 300 starts came this past Sunday.  But, he has continued to persevere.  That is a great life lesson.  We won't always experience instant achievement in this life, but if we believe that God has called us, we can continue to be faithful and seek to glorify Him.  And, you know, Michael has to race next week; he certainly hasn't arrived in his racing career - this isn't the pinnacle, and he has to keep working and getting better.

We can also follow McDowell's example to develop a contagious faith.  What God has done within is displayed by how we live it. A simple profession from the heart will bring salvation to us, but that's only the beginning; we have to do more than say we believe in Christ. It is vital that we live it, showing others that we love Him and love them.  How we respond is difficult situations can be a barometer of the spiritual growth we have experienced.