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By Rev Don Rivers
The “BER” months are here, September, October, November, and December. They represent a very productive time of the year. We return from a time of leisure and rest to refocus back on the things that make our world go round, school, jobs, church, communities. This time of year brings things into focus. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Summertime is a great time to enjoy things that are not part of our daily routine; trips, vacations, picnics, and many other gatherings. We get out of our routine and engage with people and places that make lasting memories and hold special significance. Sometimes in life and racing we can lose focus on that. We fail to enjoy the journey.
Now it is time to refocus and get back to the routine. That transition can present some challenges. We can get to a place in life where things just seem disorganized. We try but we just don’t seem to be able to get our hands around things. Things seem to be moving in different directions from what we would like. We struggle to find our focus.
Focus is an interesting thing. I was talking to a crew chief the other day about the way his car was handling and he shared with me that they came to the track with a new setup and had been trying to dial it in. They were not having much success but were committed to work through it. I was amazed when he said they couldn’t even go as fast as the “old” setup. I was confused. Was their focus in the wrong place?
Understanding the situation can go a long way in determining what we should be focused on. The effort and time spent trying to make something work on race day seems like a waste. It only teaches you what you can’t do. It demonstrates a loss of focus. Take a step back and rethink the reason why you came to the track that day, to race. Not only to race but to win!
I understand you have to try new things and when you try, you may find something out, but that type of activity is for a test session, not race day. There is a time and place for every activity and we need to be aware of the situation and focus on the desired result.
Losing focus applies to every aspect of our lives. We need to remind ourselves what it is that we are doing and focus on the activities that support that. Sometimes we get distracted from our mission. We need to take a step back and refocus.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us;
Hebrews 2:1 – We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Have you ever noticed that what you focus on is likely to become where you end up? That is what they teach you in driver training, what you focus on is where you will end up. I remember the lesson well from my motorcycle training, if you look down you will go down. Look up and focus on the path you want to take and your mind and body will make the necessary adjustments to follow what you have focused on.
Daryl Shoemaker shares about how he learned this lesson on his summer vacation.
“On a recent summer vacation I enjoyed a round of golf with, for the purpose of this story, an unnamed family member. While standing by a tee box, we admired all of the beautiful homes and their immaculately landscaped patios that backed right onto the left side of the fairway. My golf partner indicated that the homeowners complained at length about golf balls hitting their homes. However, it had not been a problem for him as he followed the sage golfing advice – don’t focus on the home, tree or water, but instead focus on the place where you want your shot to land. That makes sense. You always hear about how pro athletes are successful in part because they are able to visualize the play. He went on to effectively demonstrate this principle, as after 5 minutes of looking at the homes, he managed to hit a 250-yard shot right into the backyard of the home furthest from the fairway.”
It is hard to get a thought out of our mind? We let things in there that shouldn’t be in there and those thoughts will lead us to focus on things that we shouldn’t. Actions follow thoughts. Soon we find ourselves where we don’t want to be or shouldn’t be all because we entertained the thought.
Philippians 4:8; NLT; And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
It is not that we should ignore the challenges that face us. However, it is a question of focus. We need to remember the situation we are in. Remind ourselves of the right focus.
When our focus is correct, the obstacles, places and things we shouldn’t entertain, remain in our periphery, they become secondary. If our focus is on our purpose the path does not seem so long. While we focus on the reward the cost will seem small.
What is it that we need to be focused on? We need to remind ourselves that we are to be about the Lord’s work. Don’t let things distract you from what God requires. I refer back to the writer of Proverbs when I get things out of focus on my life.
Proverbs 3:5-6; Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Are we a little out of focus? Take a step back and look at where we are expending energy. Get an understanding of the thoughts we let into our minds. Ask ourselves if you are moving in the direction that God wants you to. Whose voice are we listening to? Ask God and he will guide us. Commit to make the necessary adjustment to get things back in focus.
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.
