Home again. I want to thank Todd Heft for filling in for me in my absence. He had some very timely things to share. The feedback I received let me know that the future is in good hands. Thank you Todd for contributing what God placed on your heart for us to hear. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
2020 is a significant year, not only in crazy events, twists and turns but also my wife, Lynda and I celebrated our Fortieth Wedding anniversary on June 7th. As we talked about ways to commemorate the milestone we decided to go on a road trip. With racing for the most part on hold we had the time. We waited until things started to open up, hooked up the camper and headed west. Just Lynda, the dog Lily and I. We disconnected for the most part from social media and the news feed. We tried just to go down the road God led us, no plan further out than a day and nothing but time; come what may.
We had a wonderful adventure seeing parts of the country we had never seen, checking some things off the bucket list and just relaxing. During this time of heightened anxiety discovering how to take a step back and letting the worry and stress fall away and resting in the knowledge that God is in control, is refreshing. I am reminded of the familiar passage that begins Psalm 23;
Psalm 23:1-3; NLT
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
Many are chomping at the bit to go racing. Not only drivers and teams but fans alike. For many, going to their local short track is an integral part of their lives. With so much changed and being restricted there is a big hole in many lives that are part of the racing community. When a big part of our lives is taken away we can find it difficult to think clearly. We find it difficult to carry on. It can become similar to losing a loved one. There is a grieving process. But there is hope; live racing will return to our local tracks. We will have more fire-pit stories about how we made it through without racing.
The fact that we cannot change the situation or even make decisions on our own can be frustrating. I know many people that make up the racing community are independent thinkers. They just don’t follow the norm, they read between the lines, examine what is not being said. That is what makes racers, racers; the ability to think and find what’s not there. In times like these it is especially difficult because the decision making process has been removed for us. Decisions are being made that are dictatorial in nature and for the most part that doesn’t sit well with the mindset of the racing community. It is when our mind wants to do something that we are restricted from doing that causes us issues.
I have been reminded of the serenity prayer recently. Most know this as part of the AA curriculum or Celebrate Recovery, but I think it can help us understand that things are out of our control. We have seen the short version but here is the entire prayer;
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
Reinhold Niebuhr
The circumstances around us dictate taking things one day at a time, realizing that things are not the way we would like them. We need to trust that God has things under control, He does not need our help. We need to take a step back and let this play out. I encourage you to let go and let God. Let Him renew your strength, let Him refresh your soul. We can work ourselves into a frenzy but that doesn’t accomplish much. Take this time we have been given and let life move at a slower pace, focus on the day ahead and let God handle tomorrow.
My prayer is that each of you have a time of refreshing, a time to get a new perspective on things. Make the effort to release the burden of frustration over the things we cannot control. Take it one day at a time trusting God to handle tomorrow.
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.
