If You Want Something Done Right
The story of the Ford GT is one of boldness. In the 1960s, Henry “The Deuce” Ford wanted to buy Ferrari, but in the course of their discussion, no four-walled room on the planet was big enough to contain both of their egos. So Ford adopted the truism of “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” and of course they did, winning their first 24 Hours of Le Mans 1-2-3 in 1966. Ford commemorated this boldness in 2006 by offering the 550-horsepower GT40 – a car that was faster than a contemporary Ferrari, at 3/4 the price.
As the 50th anniversary of Ford’s historic win rolled around, Ford boldly took its nascent EcoBoost technology to Le Mans and ended up on the podium. The “production-based” new Ford GTs won first, third, fourth, and ninth in their GTE class at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ferrari’s refusal to be bought sparked a righteous anger within Ford Motor Company as a whole. It created an urgency and encouraged a boldness to roll up sleeves and do the dirty work. The same urgency and boldness can be found throughout the book of Ezekiel, where God expresses disgust with some of Israel’s lousy leaders, and promises to roll up his sleeves and personally redeem anyone who is lost:
“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land.” (Ezekiel 34:11-13)
The people needed someone to give them direction, advice, wisdom, and leadership, but the leaders of the day were too compromised by vice or misled by false notions to do any significant leading or rescuing. So God reiterated what he initially promised Adam and Eve: He would personally come and save.
If a leader, friend, parent, girlfriend or boyfriend, ideology, or church has ever left you feeling scattered and abandoned, God speaks to you from Ezekiel and reminds you that he himself has rescued you. Even a good leader, pastor, or church can’t do the work God did and does. God himself found you when you were scattered, picked you up, turbocharged you, and gave you victory.
For generations since Ezekiel first spoke these words, they have been repeated as reminders that God alone does this saving work. Here’s what 21st-century reminders might sound like:
If you feel scattered after trying to do a bunch of good things so you feel better about yourself or draw admiration from the people in your life, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.”
If your life looks scattered after you devoted too much of it to following a person you thought you could trust, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.”
If your past looks like a scattered mess of emptiness and disappointments, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.”
If your future appears scattered among chaotic circumstances, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.”
If God seems distant, or his Word seems scattered by confusion, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.”
God’s life-saving work has been bold from the beginning. His greatest victory happened long before you were born, but the celebration continues every time he finds one of his sheep and wins a new victory for them.
The latest Ford GT was a stunning, 217-mph billboards for EcoBoost technology. Its twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 generated 647 horsepower – you know, just a few more than what you’d find in an EcoBoost F-150 – in a body that prioritized aerodynamics above nostalgia. The usual special editions included a Heritage Edition and Carbon Edition, although the whole run celebrated the car’s heritage and they all had carbon fiber. Yes, there’s plenty of boldness in Ford Motor Company’s marketing wing too.
