With the season coming to a close I wonder if we are there yet? Have we reached the goal of perfection? Of course the answer is no, but that won’t stop us from trying. Why is it that we have a desire for perfection when we are surrounded by imperfection?  Are we able to find satisfaction and fulfillment in less than perfect surroundings? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As the race season wraps up, I find a few veins of thought crisscrossing in my mind. How did your season go? Did you even have a race season? How about your life, are things coming back to where they were a few months ago? My hope is that we are able to look past the challenges and obstacles and see the good, the beneficial and the blessings.

Racing is a never-ending cycle of a shampoo bottle; wash, rinse, and repeat; prepare, race, repair. I know that’s not a perfect analogy, there are times when the repair cycle is not needed and there are times when a scrap and build cycle are needed. The goal shouldn’t be perfection, it should be finding the point in the cycle that we can sit back and enjoy the process. When we can go to the track without a perfect looking car and find satisfaction and fulfilment, we start to get it.

The other day I noticed a dent in the side of our camper, nothing big, just a little blemish, but when the sun hits it right you notice it. Immediately my mind went to repair mode. I have to fix it and make it perfect again. What I failed to see was the significance of the moment. Here we were camped along the river, trees changing color, blue cloudless sky, a great Blue Heron searching for lunch and I was letting an insignificant imperfection rob me of the blessings of my surroundings.

This part of the racing season tells a story. As I watched at the end of the day I saw the parts and pieces that collected around the trash can.  Fans wanting a piece of history to remember their day by, a bumper, a tire or body panel. Someday to sit and remember the day they saw so and so get into it with so and so, what a day that was!

The cars carry the blemishes of the season. The cycle is clear; prepare, race, repair, but the repair isn’t restore, each blemish has a history. I wonder what the stories will develop into? How many years from now will this day live on in the memories of those who were part of the history of this day?

We can spend our lives trying to make things perfect but the truth is life is not, things happen, we all have blemishes of life lived. Why then do we expect everyone not to have some bumps and bruises? Why is it that we are trying to fix everyone? Why is it that we let a few imperfections get in the way of having a meaningful relationship?

I am glad God didn’t choose to let my imperfections get in the way of Him wanting to have a relationship with me. Believe me there are enough reasons not to like me and you too. We all have our shortcomings and blemishes, that is a given. What is not is the fact that we can accept them and build a relationship or we can choose to let them divide us.

Let’s go back to the racetrack and take a look at the cars that show the signs of the season. Sometimes we wonder why they didn’t fix it or why would they bring such an “ugly car” car to the track.  Let me assure you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Let me rephrase that, beauty is in the one that can look beyond the blemishes and find the value that lies beneath the surface.

1Timothy 1:15-17; NLT; This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.  All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

God sees our imperfection and chooses to extend to us His grace. When he looks upon each of us he sees our value, not our performance. He extends to us the righteousness of Christ to cover our unrighteousness. He looks beyond our imperfections and blemishes.

John 3:16-17; NLT; “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

In my line of work I spend much time helping people see the forest through the trees. Sometimes what we see isn’t a true picture of what is there. I try to help people look beyond the dings and dents to form a complete picture. I am glad God sees the complete picture and chooses to extend to us grace. I believe we all need to do a better job of extending that grace to each other.

In times of stress and challenge we can forget that there is a person behind the mask. We can fall into the trap of depersonalizing people. I encourage you to pull the mask away, show your face and extend the grace of God to those around you. We just might find someone who is just like us.

Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.