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What I Learned at the Enduro

             Every year “Estevan Motor Speedway” closes out its season by hosting an “Enduro race”.  This is where people take old cars, knock the windows out of them, move the gas tank and the battery to a safe place and then race each other for 150 laps or an hour and a half, whichever comes first.  After driving in this race and helping officiate it, I have discovered that there are two basic approaches to this event.
            First there are the really aggressive drivers.  Their goal is to go as fast as they can and lead every lap.  They are all over the track and they run into as many other cars as possible.  Their aggressive attitude makes them fun to watch because they are on a mission. 
            Then there is another group of cars that just circle around the bottom of the track and try to stay out of trouble.  When all the other cars are dented, missing parts and spewing steam from their radiators, these cars look just as good as they did when they rolled off the trailer.  They are not the fastest and they are not the most fun to watch, but they just keep putting up laps.
            Guess which type of driver usually has the most success.
            This year, as with most years, the majority of the top ten cars came from the “slow but steady” group. 
             I think that there is a lesson here for us.  We live in a culture that is fascinated with those who aggressively chase their dreams and take wild and crazy risks in order to make something happen.  Most people simply do not have time for things like “patience”, “endurance” or “faithfulness”, but those are some of the core values of Christian teaching. 
            When we continually commit ourselves to doing the right things, it not only brings results but other blessings as well.  As the apostle Paul said, “We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us” (Colossians 1:11-12 – The Message).      
            It is tempting to want to do something spectacular and note-worthy, but the truth is that success usually comes to those who simply refuse to give up.
            There is a reason why we say, “Slow and steady wins the race”.

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