"The White Flag is Flying"

Following over 2 feet of rain flooding Daytona Beach, including the Speedway, I was looking forward to a little time headed inland, and into sunshine, to link up with a bunch of bros at Jennings GP Speedway for some race practice with a bunch of my local Daytona Sportbikes gang. It was hotdogs over the fire and burgers on the grill as I set up our CSBRacing pit with the help of a faithful bro, Ben, who brought his Aprillia along for his very first time on track. Soon a tent city had sprung up around us and the bikes were all mounted on stands, looking eager, for the coming dawn to unleash them on the track.

First light brought some small complaining from my body about sleeping in the back of a truck, but all quickly passed with raising the easy-ups, bike prep and registration. The track director at Jennings always holds a lively riders meeting, and, maybe it was the recent tragedy at Barber Motorsports Park, or respect for tradition, but the director asked me to begin the day with an invocation.

On track and off the saddle, for some much needed knee-dragger practice and confidence building, with a focus first on the basics, then more advanced riding, downshifts and trail-braking. All the sessions ended with the customary checkered flag, but unlike a race weekend, track days do not use a white flag to let you know the last lap has begun. This kinda got me thinkin, during a race, we use the majority of our laps to reel in the easy catch, then study the serious competition to find and exploit a weakness in the line of the racer in front of us. But when we see that white flag flying, we know that our time is short, and if we intend to make a difference in the race, we gotta go for it.

If we looked at the years of our lives as laps in a race, how do we use most of them? It often seems they are spent pursuing those extra hours of overtime and worrying about so many circumstances, while complaining about the inconveniences we experience along the way. But what would it be like if we lived like the white flag was flying? How much more time would we invest in the lives of our family and friendships? Would forgiveness, mercy and kindness replace the short tempers and bad attitudes we often come home with after a long day? Would we love our families with endurance rather than divorce? And would we be more passionate about understanding our purpose in life and desire to know more about God?

I believe the answer to all these questions is, ìyes.î And I use the example of the criminals that were crucified with Jesus. As their white flag began to fly, one of the criminals became desperate and bitter, spewing his anger and keeping his heart cold and hard. But the other recognized his own weaknesses and closing in on lifeís finish line, he saw a chance for hope in Jesus ChristÖAnd he went for it. He made his move. Not a shallow scheme to get the easy way out, but a heartfelt cry for forgiveness and a declaration of his own inability to save himself. The equivalent in the racing world of dropping two gears, chattering the back tire into a curve and trailbreaking to throttle up at the apex.

The track director asked for the day to begin with an invocation, and by lunchtime, the classroom had filled for chapel. So ride hard bros and sisters, the remaining laps are few, Art Lohman.