turning

NASCAR. . . always turning left. . .well, unless they are on a road course.  I grew up with stock car racing. My dad participated in the construction of the track at Bristol and, at 8 years old, I was at the very first race there.  From year to year, I spent a lot of time in the pits because dad knew a lot of the drivers and crews.  Pop took me to just about every track in the southeast as I was growing up.  The memories sure are good ones.  

I also remember living about two miles from Thunder Valley after I was married.  Our mobile home was just beyond the hills surrounding the Bristol property.  By then, I couldn’t attend races like I used to, but I didn’t need a sound system to hear the drivers going around the half-mile oval or the dragsters going down the 1/4 mile strip.  What a beautiful sound.  All that power concentrated under the hoods of cars going absolutely nowhere.

This weekend, I my find myself with a little “me” time so guess what I’m doing?  Watching NASCAR.  I marveled at the truck race last night in Atlanta, I’m watching Nationwide qualifying right now, and I’m quite sure I’ll sleep through the Sprint Cup race tomorrow after church.  They are still turning left and all weekend long, even after the 500-mile event on Sunday, the drivers will only cover an area of 1.54 miles.  Amazing.  And they’ll go nowhere at speeds over 150 miles per hour.

Most people I know live life like that.  They are racing in the same direction they were years ago and they are still not getting anywhere. Unlike the NASCAR stars, the average Joe just needs a change of direction.  Instead of going faster, you should slow down–smell the roses, they really are fragrant.  Instead of doing the same old thing the same old way, mix it up–look for something new in life–say Jesus, for example.

Going faster and working harder just to make more and do more can only result in flat tires and banged up bodies–kind of like the “big one” wrecks at Daytona and Talladega. Remember this, you weren’t created to be successful.  You were created to worship God.  Then you ARE successful.  Think about it.  Then, if you haven’t already, turn to Jesus.