The spotter

Personal Photo: I might be a new NASCAR fan, but I still surprised Clay with tickets to our first NASCAR race for Father's Day! These cars are so impressive, and being there was an entire different experience than watching on television!

Clang! I closed the oven door and put the hot tray on top of the stove just before the heat began to seep through my oven mitt. Quickly, I grabbed a spatula and scooped up the meatballs and let them roll onto a checkered white and black tray. I shuffled over to the dining room table and snatched up the little toothpicks with tiny checkered flags on them and haphazardly shoved them in various meatballs, careful to keep my fingers away from the fresh-out-of-the-oven food. Two minutes before the green flag waved and I was finally ready. Supper was displayed on the table in various appetizer-sized portions. Cheese cubes, meatballs, snack mixes, dips and spreads, homemade bread, cookies, and more. We were not going to be hungry. Satisfied with the spread, I meandered over to the television remote and clicked 'unmute.'

To be honest, I have never found much interest in car races, regardless of the kind of cars that were on the TV. Other than watching the Indy 500 every year for about the last decade, I failed to find interest in seriously following the sport. This year, that changed, and while I am a new NASCAR fan, I have jumped in with both feet, landing in the awe of the strategy of the sport, the drama of the drivers, the choreography of the entire team, and the incredible skill it takes to compete in such an activity.

The best way for me to learn about the sport? Turn on the sound. I realized early this season that for me to have any idea what is going on, I needed to hear the announcers discuss the quality of the cars, the way the drivers raced in the previous day qualifying, the unique aspects of the day's racetrack, and so on. The announcers (like many other sports announcers) are usually previous drivers or pit crew members. With their first-hand experience, they are incredibly knowledgeable on the sport, and their jobs are the keep the viewers informed of all the details that would normally be lost to the 'mute' button.

When I clicked on the sound a few weeks ago and listened to the announcers, they shared an interesting detail that my ears snagged on. They were talking about the spotters for the drivers, and how at that particular racetrack, the spotters needed binoculars to see their drivers as they raced the oval. The announcers went on to say that the drivers can't see more than the row (maybe also the second row) of cars ahead or behind them. In other words, the drivers are completely reliant upon their spotter to tell them where on the racetrack to go, who is around them, if and when and where there is a crash, etc. For their safety, the safety of other drivers, the chance to win and compete, and so much more, the drivers must trust their spotter. The responsibility to take care of their drivers, along with the other competitors, rests on the shoulders of people you rarely hear about in the scene of NASCAR.

I thought about that for a long while. All through supper, all through the race, I was thinking about the spotters. The announcers even let us listen to one of the radios and the driver didn't even say a word. The only sound was that of the spotter telling their driver who was around them, if he was clear to make a pass, if there was a crash, etc. The constant flow of words from the spotter to the driver allowed the driver to have eyes above the track, to see more than the immediate vicinity. I considered how we are not much different than the drivers on the course. We really can't see much around us. We have no view of the future, we can't understand why things happened in our past. And in all cases, we can only see things from our own very narrow perspective. When we really think about it, we are zooming through life just trying to manage everything thrown at us, while still maintaining some semblance of order in all the chaos. Honestly, we need a spotter too. In order to avoid crashes, see more than what's right in front of our faces, and get the bigger picture, we must have eyes from above.

God is our spotter. God can see the big picture. And more than that, He is looking out for our safety, our happiness, our loved ones, and His other children. God sees it all, while we only see what's right in front of us. Isaiah 55:8-9 highlights the difference in perspectives when it states "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'" This verse talks both about the physical vantage point of heaven compared to earth, which directly relates to how He can view us from above, but it also talks about the spiritual height, meaning that God's ways are above our own. God's plans for us, His reasoning, His love, His guidance, are all more than what we could possibly comprehend. We can remember here that our perspective is very limited when comparing it to the Lord. And when we feel as though we just can't see how it is all going to work out, we can remember that God sees it all, and understands way more than what we do.

Relying upon what you can't see and what you can't understand is incredibly challenging. The faith it takes to let go of control and trust that the Lord is working even when we don't realize it is on of the trickiest parts of being a Christian. It reminds me of the radio of the driver. The driver spent the whole time listening while the spotter kept him informed. When we turn down our own sinful thoughts, the noise of our world, the chaos of the day to day, and take the time to listen to God's voice, read His words to us in the Bible, and feed our spiritual hunger, that faith that we so desperately need grows. It's easier to know where to go when we didn't try to talk over the Person who is telling us what direction we need to take and what we need to avoid. Proverbs 3:5-6 explains "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Our understanding is very short-sighted, but when we trust in the Lord, take the time to seek Him out and listen for Him, our mysterious future is way less frightening, and our past has much more meaning. God will never lead us astray, but instead He will guide us where we need to go.

When I consider how limited our vantage point of life is, it can be a little disheartening. We ask the question 'Why?' so many time throughout our lives without every really getting an answer. We can become weary of not knowing, not seeing, not understanding. When it feels frustrating to only be able to see what's right in front of us, I think about 1 Corinthians 13:12, which explains "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." This verse highlights to us the holy understanding of the Lord compared to our imperfect view. One day, we will see the view from where our Spotter is, and we will fully understand and realize His full knowledge. We might not understand now, but we will soon. And how gracious of the Lord to be our Spotter, to look out for us and give us comfort and peace when we feel the brunt of our not-knowing.

We can't make it without a spotter. We get stuck in crashes, we get hurt, we hurt others, and we can't get around the things that hold us back. I am so grateful that our Spotter is so full of love for us that He never takes His eyes off of us, even for just a second. He is always watching, always ready to guide us and help us navigate the course of life!