I remember reading about a racing accident that caused severe injury to the driver. His intent was to build a safe racecar, safety was his top priority. The problem was the type of accident he had was rare. Even when the experts were consulted they had not seen this type of failure before.

Experience is a funny thing; we learn from things we have been through. We learn from what others have been through. We learn from experience, but no one has experienced everything. No one’s experience is exactly the same. We don’t all learn the same thing from the same experience.  

We all have seen a wreck. When we see it we immediately run through what we saw and try to put together what happened. Then we turn to someone sitting next to us and they describe a totally different scenario. We wonder, sometimes out loud, if they saw the same thing we did. It is not unusual to have several opinions of what happened. You know what they say about opinions.

So whose opinion counts, whose opinion is the one that matters? The officials. They are the ones that are there to make the determination of what actually happened and who was at fault. We all know how popular those decisions can be. Who has one of those official dolls that you can tear the arms and legs off when you disagree with them?

In the event that what we experience doesn’t yield a consensus we are left to let others determine the outcome. Who do we trust to do this? Whose life do we put our hands in?

Psalm 139:1-6;

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart

and know everything about me.

2 You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

3 You see me when I travel

and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.

4 You know what I am going to say

even before I say it, Lord.

5 You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to understand!

When we are faced with understanding the why, how, and what of life we have one source that knows us better than we know ourselves, the creator of life itself, God. He is the one who knows our innermost thoughts and desires. He is the one to guide our path.

Another source we turn to is our knowledge; what we know. Now I am sure there are those out there that know it all, have experienced it all and are not shy about sharing it with us. One of the most beneficial things we can learn in life is what we do not know. When we come to the realization that we don’t know it all we begin directing our life in the way it needs to go.

I think we all realize that we don’t know everything, but grasping that in such a way that we seek out the one that does is the first step toward really living life. We need to be honest with ourselves. We need to allow the one with knowledge and understanding to guide us.

Our traditions, the way we have always done it, our experience, that’s not what I saw, and our understanding, how can that be true; fall short when we seek to have a fulfilling and satisfying life. Who knows more about how to live the best life than the creator of life Himself?

Look at that passage; He knows everything, what we think, what we do, what we say, before we do it. If He knows that much about us then maybe we should consult Him beforehand? The Scripture gives us this advice.

Proverbs 3:5-6; NLT; Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

    do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

    and he will show you which path to take.

When we make that decision we are introduced to God in his three persons; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Each member of the trinity has a role in our life and is committed to making our life the absolute best life it can be, to develop our character into the absolute best it can be and they are committed to help us become the person God created us to be.

Next week we will start exploring these three; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Reflect on this question this week, how can I know that God exists? Ask Him to show you, He will help you find your way to Him.

Let me leave you with this. Things just don’t happen. Your racecar just didn’t build itself. Where there is order there is someone who determines that order. Your shop isn’t organized unless you organize it. The same is true for us, we are created by the Creator. We are put together in such a way as we have life. What an awesome and wonderful gift.

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.

Growing pains is another word for conflict resolution. Conflict is a strong word but there are degrees of conflict. The reality is we live in an environment that cultivates conflict. When we have two people with differing opinions, we have conflict. Not all conflict should be avoided. How do we manage the decisions in our lives in the midst of conflict? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Have you ever thought about who has the last say in the discussion about what a race team should do on the next pit stop? Who really decides what happens? The driver has input and tries to communicate the changes he would make. The crew chief has information and input to choose from. Sometimes those opinions are different. There is conflicting information. Someone has to make a choice that is different from what someone asked for.

Most times the crew chief makes the call; 4 tires, one round of wedge, 2 tires, air pressure adjustment. But it is really the over-the-wall crew that makes the final call. They do the physical adjustments to the racecar.

Think about it in the heat of the moment. Everyone is listening to the same information, who wants what. At some point the car pits and a decision is made, whether you like it or not. The adjustments are communicated and the work carried out. Now let’s throw a monkey wrench in there, confusion. 

In all the radio chatter is there a clear voice of decision? Sometimes the answer is no. The over-the-wall gang isn’t sure what they are doing. They make every effort to carry out their job but a wrench gets left in, lug nuts don’t get tightened, equipment get dragged out of the pit stall; it happens.

On a more humorous note, the greatest pit call of all time is etched in our memories; “you can’t pit now, we’re eating ice cream.” 

This is just a snap shot of life. Super compressed into a 15 second window. The crews that get it right do well. The crews that don’t, struggle. How does this transfer into our lives?

We all need to make decisions each day to live. Some decisions are critical, life and death. Some decisions are less critical. Decisions need to be made, life needs to be lived and conflict is an ever-present condition we have to deal with.

Let’s unpack that a little, have you ever heard two, or more, people decide where to go for dinner? Conflict. The first way to overcome this and end the discussion is to agree to pay. Most of us are willing to go along if someone else is paying, no matter how much we like the place chosen. The next best way is to allow the pickiest person to choose, the more flexible folks will go along. Then there is the grandaddy of all that trumps everyone, let mom choose. If momma is happy, everyone is happy.

To live we must decide, to decide we must determine the right direction, to determine the right direction we must listen to opposing viewpoints, to listen we must possess a spirit that is not quick to anger. Having the Holy Spirit alongside helps us achieve this.

James 1:19-20; NLT; Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

Human anger does not reflect the character of God or produce what is right in God’s eyes.

That there is the first step in Biblical conflict resolution. Not an easy accomplishment, but a necessary lesson to be learned and practiced. We all want our opinion heard and acknowledged, we find value in that. But that is not where our value should come from. Our value will increase in the eyes of others when we follow this guidance from Scripture.

As we move along take a look at this passage form Acts, the church was growing and we all know that causes growing pains. Everyone has an opinion of what is important, we all have things that are important to us. So how do we move forward?

Acts 6:1; NLT; But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

“Rumblings of discontent”; why can’t we all just get along? That takes work and practice. Let’s take a look at how the Apostles handled this. First, they determined their priorities. As leaders they were responsible for leading everyone and allowing their focus to be shifted from that would irresponsible. They also knew it was important that everyone received food.

Acts 6:2-3; NLT; So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.

They gave the responsibility to the people to select men to oversee the distribution of food with three criteria; Well-respected, Full of the Spirit, and Wise. The key to the process is that in order to identify these men they needed to ask God. God would reveal who He called for the task. We know this because when the names were selected everyone was in agreement and received the solution. That only happens when we follow the direction of God through the Holy Spirit. Notice the criteria of those making the selection; “All Believers”. That means those who have received the Holy Spirit. 

There are differences of opinions. We see things differently. We disagree. Good people can disagree without dividing. The apostles’ response in this matter was to call the Christians together and suggest a solution.

It is significant that the apostles were not prepared simply to ignore the problem; they understood that spiritual and material concerns are so intimately related in Christian experience, one always affects the other for better or worse.

They didn’t ignore the problem, they also didn’t try to assign blame or act in any paternalistic fashion, a parent telling children what to do. Rather, their suggestion was that seven men “full of the Spirit and wisdom” be chosen from among the congregation who could take responsibility in the affair. When we come together in the Spirit of God to resolve something God moves through His people and provides a resolution. 

Acts 6:7a: NLT; So God’s message continued to spread.

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.