My family and I recently had the opportunity to attend Monster Jam in St. Louis on January 22nd. It was a Christmas gift from my mom, and it was a blast! I enjoyed watching Monster Jam when I was younger, but now I get to enjoy that our family has slowly become fans of the sport, and it was an incredible experience to watch the trucks perform live with my kids. My kids have gotten into it enough already, that all adopted their favorite teams. Savannah is into Grave Digger, Oliver loves the giant shark Megalodon, and Ivy gets a kick out of El Loco Toro as it blows smoke from its nostrils. It was cool to get to see all three running in the event.
One of the highlights of the event was watching Tom Meents drive Max-D. For those who are not familiar with Monster Jam, Tom Meents is one of the most successful drivers in the sport and a fan favorite. He has won numerous championships, and records and his driving style is always entertaining. To our surprise and delight, Tom Meents won the event in St. Louis for the weekend.
As a Christian, it got me thinking about the relationship between faith and Monster Jam. On the surface, it may seem like two completely different things, but upon reflection, I believe there are some valuable lessons that we can learn from the sport. One of the things that I love about Monster Jam is the level of dedication and commitment that the drivers have to their sport. They spend countless hours training and preparing for each event, and their determination and hard work is evident in their performances.
In a similar way, as Christians, we are called to be dedicated and committed to our faith. We are called to live our lives in a way that honors God and serves others. This requires hard work and determination, but the reward is worth it. Just as the drivers at Monster Jam put everything they have into their sport, we too are called to put everything we have into our faith.
Another lesson that I learned from Monster Jam is the importance of perseverance. The day started off with them announcing that Grave Digger was unable to run the first races. The team worked hard and got the truck out there. This made Savannah bummed, but when he came out for freestyle, she jumped up cheering. The trucks often face obstacles and challenges, but they never give up. They keep pushing through, and this is a testament to their determination and spirit.
In our lives as Christians, we too will face obstacles and challenges. We will encounter moments of difficulty, but we must never give up. We must persevere, knowing that God is always with us and that He will see us through. People will witness this, and cheer for us. It is encouraging and can help point people that might have doubted the faith closer to Jesus. I believe personal testimonies of what Jesus has done for us, are highly valuable.
Attending Monster Jam was a great reminder of the lessons that we can learn from the sport. It taught me about the importance of dedication, commitment, and perseverance, and how these values can be applied to our faith. Seeing these drivers passionate about what they do, and being in a crowd that was passionate and the event really got me amped up as well. Can we as followers of Jesus and church leaders do better at being excited about our faith, just like a monster truck rally? YEAH, and I’m excited about that! I hope that my experience at Monster Jam has inspired you to reflect on the ways in which your faith can be strengthened and encouraged through seemingly unlikely sources.
Father God, thank you for the experience of attending Monster Jam with my family and for the lessons you reveal to us about you in the everyday things we do. Help us to apply these lessons to our faith, and to live our lives in a way that honors you. Amen.
John Johnson Does Stuff 