Over the past year I have had the privilege of being a co administrator for a NASCAR fan based group on Facebook called 24LIFE. We are all rooting for our driver, Chase Elliott. But to my surprise, this group has become so much more than a "fan page".
I'll never forget the day my two close friends, Donna, Keith and I decided to start this group. We worked for a few days figuring out what we wanted this group to look like, how we wanted to run it, and who all we hoped would join the group. We launched the page, started inviting friends and family who are NASCAR fans to join us, and then said a little prayer that we would have at least 20 members accept our invitation to have some fun together while cheering our driver on.
All along I think the 3 of us had a feeling that there was a bigger purpose for our little group, but for that day, we just hoped for a few members. And then they started coming. Twenty members the first day, then 30 and 40 and so on. We actually had to become a secret group on Facebook in order to cap off how many members we would have.
We are blown away every day by this little group of 200 members, men, women, young and "older", Chase Elliott Fans and fans of other drivers. These people never cease to amaze me. Here are a few things I've learned from 24LIFE.
Tolerance of everyone is a gift of love that I see everyday in our group.
We can all differ and yet all care so deeply.
Somedays the comedy is hilarious, and somedays we are all in tears together.
Online friendships are real and can become very deep when you open you life to others.
A word of encouragement goes a long way.
Forgiveness is a must in life.
If you need prayer, this group will gather around you and pray. Most of us have never met in person but we are prayer partners for life.
God can use a simple dream of a NASCAR group for His glory. I know this for a fact. I see Him in our group every day.
When we open our lives to others, the love comes back to us a thousand times over.
I think what sums up this past year, and our little FB group is a quote I read by Phillip LaRue.
"Life us a lot harder and more beautiful than I imagined when I was young. What a paradox. If we didn't know pain, we wouldn't know beauty."
Together we've seen our share of pain, sorrow, and loss. And together we had our share of joy, happiness, and victories. None of it had to do with NASCAR. All of it has to do with doing life together.
Much love to my 24LIFE friends and family, and much love to those who take time to read when I write.
