Skip to main content

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”.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more