Cars 3

Have you ever seen watched a movie that just left you speechless at the end? One that you could immediately watch again, that would go down in history as a classic?? The other night our family watched one of those movies. One that I am proud to own and will watch many times over. Which movie is it you ask?? Cars 3. Yep, you read that right, the cartoon.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t thrilled to watch this movie as most movies don’t make a good third installment, but my daughter wanted to watch it so we decided to make it a family movie night. The premise of the movie begins with Lightning McQueen who we have followed through the two previous movies. He is at the top of his racing game and then gets in an accident. He goes through a time of reflection and wondering if his glory days are over and then begins to train for a comeback.

We all want a comeback don’t we? I mean that’s the overall Gospel message, “no sin too great” or “nothing can separate” — we can always return to Jesus. And I, too, thought this movie was going to be about his glorious comeback! But boy was I wrong!!

I will save you all the details of the movie as you can watch it for yourself, but Lighting McQueen has a trainer who is supposed to get him back on track to being the winner he is meant to be. But somewhere along the line he realizes his trainer is actually better than him. He seeks out the car who trained his mentor and learns that his mentors “glory years” were actually the years he was training and guiding Lightning McQueen, NOT his own racing years! This is where I was INTO the movie. Throughout the rest you see Lightning’s attitude change from being the best racer he can be to continuing the legacy he has begun.

Jesus’ last words to us were not, “Be good, try real hard and do your best.” In the book of Matthew he says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this I am will you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20). Our last call was to make disciples. Lead others to Christ and then mentor them to be world changers. We are to continue the legacy, yet sometimes we are so consumed with ourselves we forget to pour into others and take others with us.

I absolutely love being able to lead someone to the Lord; there is really nothing like it! But you know what is even better? Watching someone I have discipled and mentored lead someone to the Lord. We are called to make disciples. Sometimes we want to be the one who gets all the glory and leads every person to the Lord, but that isn’t the way Christ intended it — he said “go and make disciples.”

I spent three years in a leadership program called Masters Commission and there was a saying we lived by. Every year as we started our director would say, “Every Paul needs a Timothy, who is your Timothy?” All of us want to be like Paul, but even Paul knew he had to raise up disciples to train the first churches. I ask you today… Who is your Timothy? If you cant answer that question, pray God will open your eyes to the person you can disciple. Your “glory years” are waiting.