If You Speed, You Better Be Listening

This past weekend, I enjoyed the thrill of driving a real NASCAR racing vehicle at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, courtesy of my generous support leadership team. The experience was unforgettable.

After I climbed through the window into the stock racing car and got bolted into place, I immediately felt myself becoming claustrophobic, and fear began to settle in. When the steering wheel was fixed into place, I discovered I was too short for my feet to reach the pedals — quite embarrassing. The crew members scrambled around and finally found several padded cushions to help me out, like a kiddie booster seat.

Once I started the car and sped down the track, I could hear a voice in my ear. It was only then that the fear began to dissipate. I was not alone.

I'd never met the person talking to me through the radio transmitter in my helmet, but over the next eight minutes, he was the voice in my ear that was literally keeping me alive. I knew he was somewhere "up there" in the grandstand watching me race around the track, but I had no idea where he was. I'll never forget when he said, "You've got three cars coming up behind you doing about 190 miles per hour, so I want you to ease over to your left since those cars are going to be passing on your right."

There were no mirrors on my car, so I was driving blind with only this mysterious voice in my ear telling me how to avoid catastrophe. I obediently steered to my left, and as I did so, the voice said, "Here they come, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Stay calm."

As he counted down to "one," three blurs whizzed past my right side, engines roaring. If the voice hadn't prepared me, I easily could have been crushed into a mangled metallic mess.

When it was safe once again, the voice encouraged me to pick up my speed, urging me that I could go faster with his expertise as my guide. At other moments, the gentle voice urged me to "keep it between the dotted white lines so you don't lose control here."

As I reflected afterward on the exhilarating once-in-a- lifetime experience, I was reminded that life is a lot like my eight minutes on the speedway. Voices are always speaking into our ears, some good and some out for destruction. The choice is always ours: Do we listen to the voice that is leading us away from catastrophe? Do we listen to the voice that causes us to look over at those who are flying past us?

If I had glanced over at the cars racing past me, I would surely have lost control and crashed. Do we take heed of the voice that cautions us to stay within the white dotted lines and keep focused on our own journey, or do we look at others and fall prey to jealousy?

There is so much wisdom in following the voice of God because we know He will keep us safe. His wisdom reminds us to be aware of the protective boundaries around us and to be mindful of the consequences of crossing these boundaries.

My time on the racetrack didn't break any speed records or win me any awards, but I came away feeling grateful. Firstly, I was grateful to be alive after that harrowing experience! Secondly, I was grateful to have been reminded of the voice of God that I choose to listen to and of the lessons He has taught me.

My husband, Andrew, also took a turn in the race car and even joined the 150-mile-per-hour club for his speed! Not surprisingly, the experience gave him a similar revelation. When he climbed out of the car after his ride, his first words were, "I'm thankful for the voice of God!"

Listen to that voice. It can save you from decisions you'll regret.