Top Gear

Have you ever thought about whether you’re running in top gear?

My husband loves to watch the British show Top Gear.  He has an interesting sense of humor and enjoys the absurdity of some of the contests and situations they attempt on the show. 

This morning, I could hear loud belly laughs coming from the other room and felt compelled to investigate. I discovered that my husband was watching this show and he begin to share the details of today’s challenge.  A guy decided that he wanted to decorate the interior of his 80’s model Mercedes to look like his living room… complete with wing back chairs.  The French decorator who was commissioned to the task was not particularly enthralled, but completed the assignment as charged.  After pouring two tons of concrete into the floor of the car to give a level work space, they had to move the gas tank so the wood burning fireplace could be inserted into the trunk.  (OK, I must admit that I was actually a little disappointed that I missed seeing the final product.) 

Now, it was time for the test.  Before the “makeover” the car could go from zero to sixty miles per hour in 11 seconds.  But what could it do now?  The first attempt was disastrous as the wing back chairs were not bolted to the floor and flipped over backwards as the driver hit the accelerator.  After strategizing, the second attempt was completed without incident and the car made it from zero to sixty miles per hours in a whopping 43 seconds.

They took a perfectly functioning car and remodeled it to the detriment of its performance.  As I thought about it, I began to wonder how often we do that in our own lives.  It was funny for entertainment purposes, but not always so amusing in real life. 

We do the same thing we we’re too focused on appearances in our life.  Whether it’s our physical appearance or the image of our success, we can get distracted from what really matters.  We get busy with decorating and remodeling the wrong things.  Instead of the inner workings of our thoughts and attitudes, we’re consumed by our desires to live a certain lifestyle. 

We’re running in top gear when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and produce good fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness and self-control.  When we’re too busy with the worldly aspects of our lives, we’re sluggish and the good things of God aren’t visibly evident.  The end result is a loss of joy in our lives that can even spill over into the lives of those around us. 

I challenge you to focus on what you were created to do – to live your life honoring God – so you can operate in top gear.  You’ll be blessed and equipped to do the great things God has called you to.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10

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