Many Athletes Have Said It Before,

MANY ATHLETES HAVE SAID IT BEFORE, and millions more will say it in the future: It’s not over till it’s over. Whether it’s baseball, football, auto racing, or tiddlywinks, fighting hard to the finish can garner some surprising victories. That certainly was the case at the 2003 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Bill Elliott led for nearly two-thirds of the race and appeared to be driving towards his second-straight Winston Cup victory. Elliott had held off Bobby Labonte on a restart nine laps from the finish and built a comfortable lead. But when Elliott came out of turn two on the final lap, his right rear tire flew apart and started a fire in the wheel well. Forced to throttle back, Elliott settled for eighth. In the meantime, Labonte took advantage of the situation by blowing past Elliott and taking the checkered flag. Labonte led for only one lap in the 267-lap race, but it was the most important one.

EXTRA < < < < < < < < < < < < < <

POINT For many athletes, waiting for the right opportunity seems harder than any other aspect of their sport. Players don’t tend to be patient. They like to force the action and make things happen. Sometimes that works; other times it ends in disaster. In auto racing, being impatient can lead to an accident and big-time injuries . . . even death. Bobby Labonte accepts the risks he takes on the racetrack. And he knows his fellow racers do the same. They trust each other to be patient and make the right moves, but it’s hard to wait.

Most people don’t like to wait. Children eagerly anticipate Christmas and birthdays. Moms and dads anxiously await the birth of a baby. Every Monday, we start looking forward to the weekend. But waiting is key to a successful relationship with God. So many times we want things to happen according to our time schedule. But that’s not always God’s plan. Sometimes he wants us to wait for his perfect timing. At those instances, we need to trust that he knows best.

GOAL! Count the number of days until Christmas, the end of the school year, or your next birthday. Can you wait? Ask the Lord to help you wait for him.