Pulling Into The Pits

Pulling into the Pits

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski made headlines in the summer of 2015 when he pulled in for a pit stop on lap 58 of a 160-lap race at Pocono Raceway. As Keselowski approached his crew, his brakes locked, and he collided with a few of his crew members. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Keselowski also suffered a penalty because of a sprawling tire that halted the race, but his team was so proficient that he was able to overcome this setback and finish the race in second place.

As a husband or father, a lot is expected of you—work, coaching your children’s teams, honey-dos around the house. . . . Life is demanding and has a way of taking from you on a daily basis, unless, of course, you have a way to refuel and refresh.

Hebrews 12:1 states, “Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

The race of life isn’t a sprint but a long and winding endurance race. As a result, one of the things I tell my team often is, “You can’t give out what you don’t have.” You see, at some point your contributions become detrimental to the team if you aren’t fueled up and sharing out of what is fresh in your life.

So when you need to refuel in life, you have got to have a pit stop. Find a way to pull over and take the respite necessary to replenish what has been spent. Fill up again, and make sure you value those in your pit crew who help you go out and finish the race. A daily practice of refueling for me involves Scripture reading. Consider the Psalms and Proverbs as a beginning point.

Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Hebrews 12:1