Finishing Your Race
“Being confident of this
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
Twenty years ago this weekend, I was
sitting at the starting line of the 1994 Indianapolis 500.
As a sports fanatic, it was part of my ambitious quest to visit every
major sports championship in America.
But on this Memorial Day Tradition, it
was Indiana
or bust…and thankfully it wasn’t a bust. The Indianapolis 500 is an American Institution
which was first run on Memorial Day weekend in 1911 and since that time.
The most famous of races at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway began almost as soon as motor vehicles appeared in
Detroit. Sounds like men, doesn’t
it? Hardly a few minutes after Ford got his Model A’s on the road
and market, guys were figuring out how to drive faster than someone else. That year’s first winner was Ray Harroun and
along the “raceway,” many traditions have been established as rewards for the
winner. Consider a few of them:
1.
The winner of the Indianapolis 500 to “drink a bottle of
milk,” a tradition started by Louis Meyer who won the race in 1936.
2.
The winner is also presented with a wreath in victory
lane along with the opportunity to kiss the yard of brick (the start/finish
line)
3.
The winner of the race also receives the pace car used
during that race
4.
The winner will have the Borg-Warner Trophy a bas-relief
sculpture of their face added to the base as the trophy has been given since
1936.
5.
All of this and a $2.35 million purse as it surprised me
racers even carried purses.
Though not a life-long race fan, you
almost have to be there to truly understand the majesty of the event.
With 500,000 fans lined around the track, the pageantry of the music and
celebrities, the pit crews, the interior of the track, and the roaring cars, it
is absolutely exhilarating. Never had I
seen anything like it.
To add to the day in 1994, it was
Mario Andretti’s final race at the Indy 500. The legendary
Italian racer’s name has almost become synonymous with racing itself. Spines tingled as the starter called out the
famous line, “Gentleman, start your
engines!” The power of the
fuel-injected cars was explosive as they
prepared for 200 laps ahead of them at increments of 2 /1/2 miles at a
time constituting 500 miles around the world’s most famous track.
As the race started, another Italian
racer Emerson Fitipaldi immediately assumed the lead which he would hold
throughout the race. An interesting sidenote about the race is
that for every 20 laps you hold the lead, the drivers receive a $25,000
bonus. Imagine the motivation
behind that if you can maintain control?
On the racetrack, you could anticipate cars turning the corner on one end
on the left (while racing by you at speed of 180-200 miles per hours) only to
be out of sight on the right within 10-15 seconds. The speed was astonishing as they flew
across the track at seemingly Jedi-fashion.
While competitors strove to overtake
Fitipaldi, he continued to maintain a lead.
Everything was going flawlessly as everyone assumed that Fitipaldi had
it in the bag. That is…until Lap 187. While in our view, a wider turn than usual caused
his trajectory to hit a solid barrier on the outside of the track causing his
car to abruptly ricochet to the middle of the course. The impact had been too great and damage now
done. Al Unser grabbed the lead and
would finish the last 13 laps for the checkered flag and all the rewards that
come with it.
Unser who be
crowned the winner as the checkered flag was raised.
Over 50 times in the Bible, we read
sports analogies. While long before
automobiles, competitive racing genes was revealed then as they are now. Paul
wrote about in 1
Corinthians 9:24 that “while
we all run in a race, only one gets the prize” and the author of
Hebrews (12:1) challenges us “let us run with patience in the race set
before us.” In both cases, they
warn against obstacles that can sabotage or disqualify us from the finish. Marital
problem, job trials, temptations, indifference, and addictions all stand as
formidable walls in our path. However, there is good news.
Hebrews
12:2 goes on to give us the
answer when it says, “Looking unto
Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the
joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Paul went on to say, “I have fought the good fight, finished
the course, and have kept the faith…” (2 Timothy 4:7) He made it and
you can too!
Christ is the starter and
the finisher of our race. While Al Unser received his bottle of milk, wreath, and trophy,
there is a greater prize in store for those who keep their eyes on the Jesus…an
everlasting crown. Now I’ll take that
over a cash prize any day of the week. However,
I am considering kissing heaven’s brickyard once I get there.
Terry
Risser
Reflections:
- When did you start your race with Christ and what do you remember about that day?
- What stands are your greatest barrier and how does Christ want to help you?
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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