It’s Said That Baseball

IT’S SAID THAT BASEBALL is a game of inches. But that’s not the only sport that can boast that fact. At the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, the race came down to a few inches. Just three inches gave Ricky Craven the victory over Kurt Busch in the 400-mile race.

Busch, who had battled from the back of the pack, appeared to have a victory at Darlington, South Carolina, wrapped up. But power steering problems in Busch’s final laps gave Craven a small opportunity. Craven pulled onto Busch’s bumper with four laps to go and the shoot-out was on.

No stranger to tight victories, Craven stayed behind Busch until he pulled alongside him coming out of the final turn. The two drivers banged doors all the way to the checkered flag in one of best endings in NASCAR history. A photo finish revealed that Craven won by a mere three inches. His .002-second margin of victory was the smallest ever since NASCAR instituted the electronic timing system in 1993.

For the race, Craven led for only one lap—the last one. Busch settled for second, and Dave Blaney came in a career-high third.

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POINT What a close finish! Ricky Craven’s narrow victory made auto-racing history and thrilled the fans at Darlington Raceway. Tight finishes always excite a crowd more than a blowout does. Most people would rather see a close finish than a large gap at the end.

It’s the same way in God’s kingdom: narrow is better than wide. In Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, Jesus tells us to take the narrow path. Few people find it, but the reward for those on the narrow path is life. The crowded broad road leads to destruction.

GOAL! Do you ever find yourself following the crowd? Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up doing the popular thing. But Jesus says to take the narrow road. You may not have as many friends, but your eternal rewards will make it worth it. Will you accept the challenge and ask God to help you walk the narrow path?