Testimony of
Dwayne Mathias
(The June thought for the month is courtesy of Dwayne Mathias. Dwayne drives
in Lanco's sportsman class in car #1M. We sincerely appreciate Dwayne taking the time to do this. His hope is that it
might touch your life in some way. Be sure to see him in the pits at Lanco!)
Who Da Thunk It???
Would you give up something that
you can’t keep in exchange for something that you can’t lose? That shoud be an easy question to answer but sadly
many don’t take that deal. Here’s a news flash: someday you will die, and there isn’t anything you can do
to stop it, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end. It could be just the beginning. More on that later.
Bruce asked me to give my testimony
for this website and I was more than happy to do so. However, I’m not going to say much about how I came to know the
Lord, but more of what the Lord did for me. You see, my life's story is quite boring, even to myself. I was
just an average kid doing things kids do. I always felt something special towards God but didn’t investigate until I
was in my early 20’s. What lit the fire for me was when I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across a
preacher who caught my attention. What he was saying intrigues me and I began to pay closer attention to God. The clouds started
to clear and I was on my way.
“I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see”
From the song 'Amazing Grace'
It wasn’t a drastic change
in the way I lived on the outside because I never tried drugs or tobacco, and alcohol didn’t appeal to me, so I didn’t
have any addictions to overcome. It did however change my view of life on the inside. I realized that we are here for a purpose
greater than us and I set out on my journey, and what a journey it has been so far.
God is the
potter and I am the clay: Isaiah 64:8
Does the clay tell the potter what to do? Of course not.
The potter will work and mold the clay into something special, useful and valuable if you allow Him. Let me backtrack to my
school years to set the stage. I have a brother Dennis who is 3 years older than me. He was very popular in school and I was
compared to him often. In fact, I was referred to as “Dennis’ brother” more often that I would have liked.
In most ways Dennis and I were opposite. He was outgoing and involved in anything. Teachers were always comparing me to Dennis
and I hated it. Because of that I developed a strong dislike for school and teachers.
God
doesn’t call those that are qualified; He qualifies those that he calls.
Let me fast forward a few years.
One night while working in my garage a man from church called and asked if I would help with Wednesday night youth program
which is similar to Boy Scouts. I was hesitant because I was never a Boy Scout, don’t like camping or those “crafty”
things they do. I also had no experience in working with kids or a desire to do so, but he was desperate so I said OK. I was
given 4 boys to work with and little did I know that my journey was about to begin. About 1 year after that my church was
looking for a Sunday School teacher for 3rd and 4th grade boys. God really laid it on my heart to pursue
this and I fought Him tooth and nail. I’m thinking “God, are you nuts? I hated school, I hated teachers and you
want me to teach? I was an average student at best with no college training, was terrified of getting up and speaking in front
of a group, and…..” I tried to come up with every excuse possible but the more I whined the more
heat He put on me. I finally caved in and agreed to teach. I was given 8 boys, double what I had for the Wednesday night program.
It didn’t take long at all and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and dealing with kids. In time they combined the boys and
girls and my class size doubled to 16. (Are you seeing a pattern developing?) It was hard to tell who was having more fun,
me or the students. The feedback I was getting from the parents and church staff was overwhelmingly positive. The class size
grew to about 30. Later I was asked to be the MC and closing act for Vacation Bible School program. That meant that I had
to go on stage in front of over 100 kinds plus parents and staff. God laid it on my heart to tackle this and with His
grace it went incredibly well. A journey that started with 4 boys grew to over 100. I was the last person who would ever think
that I would be some kind of teacher. By the worlds standards I wasn’t qualified to lead kids, but God’s qualifications
are not the worlds. God used my bad experiences in school for His glory.
God has a plan for each
of us
So that brings us back to my original question; would you give up something you can’t
keep for something you can’t lose? You can’t keep this life, so why are you putting so much emphasis on it, but
when you accept Jesus as your Savior you have a guarantee of eternal life in Heaven. God will work you over like the potter
works the clay and turn you into something special. Is God calling you to do something you’re uncomfortable with? He
wouldn’t be after you if He knew you couldn’t do it.
You walk talks and your talk walks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.
