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By Rev Don Rivers
Have you ever stopped to think about why you do something? Many of us are influenced to act a certain way by the people we hang around with. Peer pressure can be positive or negative. The deeper question is motivation, why do we do what we do? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I have been to a few racetracks in my day, and I am always amazed at how some people can be influenced to do some pretty silly things without too much convincing. There are many things that trigger that type of behavior. Some don’t need too much encouragement while others need a little lubrication. Most take place after the race in the camping area, but some take place during the race.
You have seen the type of driver that thinks he knows what happened and retaliates only to find out later that they were wrong; or the driver who makes a derogatory comment about another driver only to be their teammate one day. We had one instance where two drivers had issues and ended up together in a pre-race prayer. You never know what may come your way tomorrow so I would heed this advice, think before you act, ask yourself why?
I understand the “in the heat of the moment” response, the passion overflows, you react before you put your mind in gear. That’s for another day, what I have trouble with is the stuff that happens after the fact, after things have calmed down. Why?
I once saw a driver taking swings at another driver because of an on-track incident. That takes a lot of thought, intent and effort. You might think somewhere along the line they might have questioned why.
I have watched verbal sparring and shouting between teams. I have heard name calling, lineage questioned, and birth origin challenged. Why? When you take a step back and look at things do you question yourself? What point does it serve? Maybe some patience and maturity would help.
Then we have the amplified response of retaliating with your race car. Many times, the on-track variety endangers not only the recipient but also others. Why is it when we get behind the wheel every other car is the enemy? It isn’t just that way at the track but that way on the street also. It is like we drive with this mentality that the world revolves around us. I think we may need to change that thought process. There is grace in the Scripture.
Romans 12:9-18, Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
The question for us is; who are we living for? Most times the answer is ourselves. We are motivated by what we want, what we think is fair and what we think justice is. We need to ask ourselves why? We should be living for God and following his directions. Displaying His character; grace, mercy, compassion, patience, self-control and the like.
Are we letting others influence our actions too much? Do we get caught up in the moment and not remember who we represent? Take a look at this passage and see if we can derive some guidance. I think we will see a way to behave that will honor God.
Be genuine, don’t pretend. No one likes a fake and most can see through the mask. People can tell when you genuinely care for them. God’s loving care for us is real. Ours should be the same.
Be ready to help, no strings attached. Many times we are motivated to help because of something we may receive later. Try being motivated to help only to please God. Remove the conditions we so often attach to our help. We will see a difference in our attitude.
We have to avoid falling into the trap of thinking we are better than everyone else and draw attention to ourselves. God would rather we be thought a fool and serve Him than to be recognized by men and serve ourselves. I know it is hard, we all want people to honor us, we all want attention, but we first need to honor God. When we honor God then we receive attention in a good and meaningful way.
We also need to remember we don’t have the solution to every problem, even if we think we know it all. More times than not people just want us to listen to them. They don’t want solutions or to hear what we would do. They want you to listen and really hear what they are saying. Maybe show some empathy and compassion. People don’t want to feel judged; they just would like to be understood. They don’t want to be fixed; they just would like someone by their side to walk through whatever they are going through.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10; Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
Perhaps we could try to have patience even if we are hearing the same old story. Did you know that God knows the future and the things that are going to happen, yet he still listens to us when we talk to him? Even if you have heard it before we need to be patient with others the way that God is patient with us. Sometimes we listen only to find a break so we can say what we want to say. Maybe we need to not say anything until we hear the whole story. Maybe in the exercise of listening and being patient, we will discover no words are needed.
I realize there is a lot to think about and there are many things that we can take from this passage. It is worth spending some time exploring. Take some time each day this week and read it. Ask God to reveal more of it to you each day. Remember to honor God first and everything else will fall into place.
Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
