Jeff Gordon was the 1993 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year and has won three of the past six Winston Cup Championships, his titles coming in 1995, '97 and '98. Here is his testimony.
I was kind of a daredevil as a kid. I would try just about everything, including racing bicycles when I was 4.
So one day my stepfather came home and said, "Look out the window." I looked outside and there were two miniature race cars on a trailer, one for me and one for my sister! I couldn't wait to get behind the wheel of that car -- even though I was scared to death of it the first time I did.
When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I got into a crash in a quarter-midget car. I hit the wall and flipped upside down. My foot was wedged between the gas pedal and the frame rail, and I thought I broke my ankle. I was screaming. I thought after that day, "I'm never going to get back in a race car!"
But racing became my life. It became the one thing I was good at. When I was at the race track, I was in a controlled, comfortable environment. As soon as I left that race track, I was just a timid little boy who didn't seem to excel in anything else.
Even as I grew up and moved on to NASCAR, I was very unsure of myself. It was like I had reached a fork in the road. It was danger this way, and good things the other way. I was thinking, "Hey, I'm on top of the world, I'm racing the Winston Cup, and I'm building a name for myself." Soon, I realized that's not what the good life is all about.
You may be the most successful person there is ... or maybe you're struggling. In either case, Christ can strengthen your confidence and give you peace of mind. He gives you the love that's missing in your life. I'm a successful person, but I can tell you that all of that wouldn't mean anything to me if I didn't have God in my life -- Someone I can turn to no matter what. I turn to Him to guide me and give me strength to get through a hectic schedule or to guide my decision-making.
My friend Max Helton, founder of Motor Racing Outreach, was instrumental in my becoming a believer in Jesus Christ. The following are his words, which will help you understand how you too can find forgiveness of sins, joy and purpose in life:
- You can't make up your own rules or ways to get into the race. No one is good enough to rule over God. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
- Sin leads us to believe that we can win the race through our own rules. But the Bible says that "the wages of sin is death," (Romans 6:23) and it also tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. It is the gift of God, not of works (Ephesians 2:9).
- You must accept God's way as the only way to enter the race. John 1:12 tells us that if we believe in Jesus Christ, God's Son, and receive Him into our life, we can be saved and have a personal relationship with Him.
- You can receive Jesus Christ into
your heart and life by praying to Him. Here is a
suggested prayer:
Dear God, thank You for reaching out to me. I confess that I am a sinner. Please forgive my sin by the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose from the grave. Fill my heart with Your truth and love. I desire to follow You alone. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Contributed by Pinball @ My Collection of Jeff Gordon
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