I know, I know, Chemistry, didn’t we study that in school. What does chemistry have to do with racing or God? More than we could imagine. When we get this right we will be amazed at how cohesive things can be. How is our lifestyle chemistry working out for us? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As I shared last week we were going to take some time and look at relationships, the good, bad and the ugly. Believe it or not we each have relationships that fit into each category. That isn’t necessarily bad if we handle them the properly. Realizing what category the relationships we have fall under will go a long way to achieving success in each one.
I was talking with a young driver the other day and asked how things were going. The look on his face couldn’t hide his disappointment. Without saying a word he communicated to me there were difficulties in the relationship between him and his new team. Chemistry or lack thereof.
A little background, this kid is a promising up and coming driver. Up until this point in his career things have seemed to come easy. He is talented, runs up front, doesn’t trash the equipment, and finishes the race. His progress up the ladder was all planned and the future was there for the taking. What happened on the way to Cup? Reality.
Now I am a firm believer that difficulty and struggle are necessary components of developing into a mature, stable adult. Sometimes we would like to take the short cut around them in order to avoid the agony of defeat. I can tell you this; nothing ever worth winning ever tasted sweeter than when the road to Victory Lane traveled through difficulty and struggle. How can we know we are on the mountain top unless we have travelled through the valley of difficulty and struggle?
He shared with me the chemistry just wasn’t there. The equipment is good, the people have the skills, the driver has the talent, but the package just isn’t firing on all cylinders. Some adjustments need to be made. Now comes the struggle, the difficulty, what do we need to change?
Relationship are living, breathing organisms. They require feeding, nurturing and attention. Some things are beneficial to that growth and some are not. The process with which they grow is dependent on the effort put forth by those involved. They require honest assessment. They require an equal commitment.
We’ll get into some of those as we unpack the chemistry of relationships. We won’t cover it all today, but we’ll get there. I did want to set the stage for that discussion by talking about the relationship we can have with God through Jesus Christ. We can count on the fact that the one who knows how to live the most satisfying and fulfilling life is the creator of life itself. Having a relationship with Him will be the most beneficial thing we can do in our life.
Success at an early age in life isn’t just a recent phenomenon of stock car racing. It dates back to biblical times. David was about 13 years old when he tasted the sweetest victory he would know. With a sling and staff, seven smooth stones, he stepped out onto the battlefield and defeated Goliath. The boy would be king! But there was another thing he stepped out on the battlefield with, a relationship with the Lord God Almighty. The confidence of knowing God is with you can go a long way. Not only in victory, but in the difficulties and struggles of life.
David’s life wasn’t all mountain top victories. In fact much of his journey was spent getting through the difficulties and struggles he created for himself when he didn’t rely on God. He left us a beautiful passage of scripture to outline how that relationship with God defined his journey.
Psalm 23; NLT, The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
David figured out that a relationship with God was all he needed to live life to the fullest. He had been estranged from God, He had tried his own way. He committed sins against God, adultery and murder. He knew what life was without God and he knew life wasn’t worth living apart from Him.
Let’s just take a moment to pull out some of the realizations that David discovered; provision, rest, peace, renewal, strength, direction, protection, comfort, celebration, identification, blessing, goodness, unfailing love and eternal dwelling. That’s a pretty good list. If we look close we see the things we desire when we build relationships with one another. Short of eternal dwelling everything on this list is achievable. We will spend some time sorting out the framework for building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships.
Although we would be hard pressed to attain perfection it is something we can strive for. We can always improve. It is only when we decide not to put forth the effort that things fall apart. This week Lynda and I celebrate 39 years of marriage. We have been together for 41 years. I can say with certainty that there have been days that we didn’t like each other very much, but the love we have for one another helped us persevere. We can look back and see how God has brought us through the difficulties and struggles. I can also say with certainty that if I hadn’t figured out what David did and turned to God we would not have made it this far. I was not the man or husband I needed to be. I thank God each day for his provision and loving care.
Let us not grow weary of doing what is right. Let us desire the things that fulfill and satisfy in life. Let seek out the Lord and His presence in our lives. Then we will have the right chemistry to be the person we need to be to build an abundant life that shows others the love of God.
Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
