Life In The Pits

I

 grew up in the heart of NASCAR country.  North Carolina is home to several race tracks and many successful and famous drivers and owners make their homes in the state.  Names like, Petty, Earnhardt, LaBonte, Elliot, Yarborough, and Jarrett were just part of my childhood.  The sport itself never interested me personally and I have never attended an actual event but I have spent several hours on the couch watching a race with my dad or my close friend, David, as these drivers, and many others, drove their vehicles at break-neck speed around a giant oval track.

When I came to seminary in 1997, the Texas Motor Speedway was in the final stages of construction.  The speedway is located just north of Fort Worth and, like most things in Texas, is huge.  I found that racing is just as popular here as it is in North Carolina and the mystique and the aura surrounding those tracks at home migrated west as thousands of fans jockeyed for tickets and seating locations for races at the speedway.  The names I knew in North Carolina also appeared in Texas and the love of the sport is just as fervent.

Most fans will tell you there is nothing quite like attending a race in person.  The television cameras cannot accurately capture the speed of the vehicles nor the sound of the winding motors as the cars whiz by people seated in the grandstands.  But to me the most remarkable activity at a race is not what takes place on the track, it is what occurs in the pits. 

This area, small by comparison with the rest of the track, is the very nerve center and heartbeat of the race.  In the pits, the drivers receive new fuel, new tires, they exchange information, adjustments are made to the cars, and the driver receives some refreshment and a few moments of rest. After this brief stopover, the driver peels out of the area and rejoins the race, setting his eyes on the finish line.

As Christians and children of God, we need to understand the importance of life in the pits.  If anything, the daily grind and challenges of life should remind us that we cannot make this journey on our own.  We are in constant need of fuel, of adjustments, of directions, and rest.  It is impossible for us to drive through life at break-neck speed, tackling all the curves and burning up all the straight-aways without ever visiting the pits to take on fresh supplies.  When we determine to run the race in our own strength and on our own terms, we very often find ourselves broken down, parked along side the road, off the main highway, a good distance from the pits, in need of repairs and a tow.

The prophet Isaiah understood that breaks from life’s rat race are not only something to look forward to, they are an essential part of the race in life.  Long before the invention of the car and way, way before man dreamed up the idea of professional racing, Isaiah gave explicit instructions concerning pit stops.  His wonderful words of wisdom have become one of the most quoted passages of scripture and can be found in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” 

What an accurate description of life in the pits!  Isaiah admonishes his readers to wait on the Lord.  Waiting means that we cease all activity.  Waiting means that we turn off the engine.  Waiting means that we relinquish our grip on the steering wheel and we remove our foot from the accelerator.  Waiting means that we allow the One in the pit to take care of us, to supply us with new fuel, new instructions, new adjustments, and to give us refreshment for our bodies, minds, and souls.  Life in the pits is not lived at break-neck speed; it is lived in perfect stillness, waiting until we get the thumbs up from the Crew Chief that we can continue with our race!

Wherever you are today in your walk with the Lord, it is my prayer that you will take time to visit the pits.  It is there you will be re-supplied.  It is there you will be renewed.  It is there that you will be refreshed.  Life in the pits is not as fast as life on the track, but without it, the finish line will never be a reality!  Are you experiencing life in the pits today?