Racing Speed

Have you ever been driving down the highway lost in thought? So lost in thought that if asked you could not report what road side attraction you just passed or even what mile marker you were approaching. You were comfortable just cruising on autopilot.

Then out of nowhere, a car whizzes past you and startles you from your little world. Shaken, you decide in an instant to dare the driver to a duel. You flip off the cruise control and put your foot to the floor catching up to your new buddy. You tail him for a few miles then when you spy your chance you quickly maneuver into the next lane and pull ahead.

You don’t look to the side as you pass but you know your challenge has been accepted. You can feel the car next to you speed up and suddenly the race is on. Wheel to wheel, bumper to bumper you go.

Your eyes become stealthily focused on the road ahead. You and the car have become one. Your grip on the wheel gets tighter. You turn up the radio because the perfect road song has begun playing. That sneaky little grin you get when your heart races and your hair is on fire appears across your face.

The road rises and falls as you go. If there is a cop on the other side of that overpass, so be it. You’ll deal with those consequences later. The two of you are flying now. It’s been a back and forth race for miles. You have no idea how fast you are going and you don’t care to know. The only thing that is important is which one will hit the “finish line” first; that exit sign way off in the distance looks like a good one.

The exit sign screams by in a blur. Who won?! Who knows; it doesn't even matter. You laugh out loud at yourself and for the first time look over at your very worthy opponent. He is laughing too. You both wave as you slow down to something close to resembling the speed limit. That grin glued to your face as you rejoin the regular flow of traffic.

You don’t know how far or how fast you’ve travelled. But you do realize that you have not felt this alive in a long time. This awake. All of your senses are engaged right now. You could even report on each roadside attraction you passed – and who passed it first. Your adrenaline is crashing through your veins and you don’t remember the last time you had such pure fun. "Why can’t life always be lived going mach 2 with my hair on fire?" - you think to yourself. Traffic may return to normal, but nothing else for you on this day will be.

So, has that ever happened? I bet it has. And if it didn’t happen while behind the wheel of a car then I bet it happened while you were doing something else. But I would bet my bottom dollar that at some point – or at several points – in life you have lived going mach 2 with your hair on fire.

You have lived while feeling fully alive.

And that is exactly how we are supposed to live – all the time. Not just for brief glimpses here and there. Not just on weekends and vacations. Not just on holidays and birthdays. Not just during stolen moments or sudden out-of-nowhere moments that startle us awake from our cruise control.

Jesus came so that we may “have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). And He means for us to have that life now, while we are here, not sometime later. That full life is not waiting for us “in eternity”, somewhere in the clouds. That life is here on earth.

A full life is one that is lived while being fully awake, heart racing, senses engaged. It is a life that does not utilize cruise control. It is a life that takes risks and will deal with the fall-out from getting a ticket from the cops on the other side of the overpass later.

When we live our lives trusting our hearts to God, we begin to experience a more full life. A life we can feel in our bones we were born to live. God’s love and strength takes us places we cannot fathom and it takes work on our part to lean on and trust in Him. But when we partner with and trust God and turn off our cruise control our lives become so much more vibrant and well lived. We become fully awake.

Think I’m wrong? Who do you think was your partner and Co-pilot during that race, protecting you from a crash and the cops? God wanted you to get a taste of the life He offers in the hope you’ll come back for more.

He just hopes next time the two of you can do it while obeying the posted speed limit.
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