Todd DeatonOn a recent Sunday afternoon, while my son and I were watching the Daytona 500, my wife posed an intriguing question: “Why do some of the drivers who never seem to lead a lap continue to race week after week?”
For that matter, I wondered, why would a driver who had to make repairs on his car and fell five or 10 laps back even bother to finish the race?
I’m not a race car driver, but I can hazard a few guesses: the thrill of competition; the hope of improving or learning something for the next race; or the excitement of cheering fans.
Perhaps it is also something that doesn’t happen on the track: the camaraderie of teamwork, the joy of working together on a car to improve its motor and its appearance, the satisfaction of completing a task.
In our own small way, we learned that through a pinewood derby. As much as Caleb and I want to win a trophy and will cheer for our car to come in first, there is more of a feeling of bonding that comes through working together. We were a team.
We had talked about designs for his car. He drew its shape on a block of wood. I arranged for a friend – a retired Baptist pastor, Nick Imbastaro, who once served in Norway, near the town of Denmark, where I grew up – to cut it out for him. Caleb went to the man’s workshop with me to see him cut it out.
Then Caleb sat down to paint his car, asking for assistance with the detailing – bright red flames and a yellow number 24, just like Jeff Gordon, his favorite racer’s car. We polished the axles and smoothed the wheels to make it faster. We determined the amount of weights needed and glued them on the car.
Reflecting on the upcoming race, the car really isn’t about winning or losing. It is a symbol of the shared joy and pride of making something. It is about a father and son working, laughing, dreaming together. In a few words: building a relationship.
The car is the fourth that we have built. And, should the opportunity arise, like the real racers, we’ll do it again. For all of those reasons, and more.
It’s like that whenever we are “laborers together” for Christ. There’s always more to missions than a project, such as helping someone after a disaster, repairing a roof, painting a wall, conducting a backyard Bible school, performing a musical. It’s also about believers growing together in sharing their faith through cooperation: teamwork.
For Southern Baptists, the Cooperative Program is another word for team. Through the CP, we all are working together for the thrill of winning others for Christ’s kingdom. And, in turn, we are enriched through showing Christ’s love as our own faith and love for God and each other are multiplied.
Like all of the race car drivers and the boys in the pinewood derby, regardless of who takes the checkered flag, we, too, are winners – just for working together with our Heavenly Father … along the Way.