The Corbin seat I ordered for my new 2007 Tiger 1050 is scheduled to be
here today. The people at Corbin were great in putting a rush on it, and
shipping it so I will have it time to leave on my next trip. But when it
arrives today via Fedex Ground, it will have been in their possession over 87
hours! To travel 430 miles, which if I had ridden to pick it up would have
taken less than 7 hours each way! Suddenly the Postal service looks great
compared to their shipping times, and a break down shows some questionable wait
times. Questionable delays. It took almost 9 hours from Watsonville to Newark,
California, a distance of 63 miles-or 7 miles per hour. What gives here? Then
from Newark to Pacoima, in the LA area, almost 40 hours, a distance of 340
miles, again about 7 mph. Finally the last leg to Sand Diego then to me, only
18 hours! Now I don’t wish to appear impatient, but what is going on here? In
87 hours, almost two weeks of full time working, I could have taken a nice trip,
ridden at a leisurely pace, and been home in time to get my new seat. Or
stopped along the way and picked it up. So why can Amazon ship overnight for
free, yet Fedex take so long for ground? Guess where my next order will be
from? The next truck stop I see with Fedex semis sitting I will ask, just
curious of course.
Living in Durango we were 250 miles from Albuquerque and over 450 to
Denver. Almost 200 miles to the closest freeway, and some kids had never seen
an ocean or an elevator. Yet whenever we needed anything not in stock in town,
the shipper would put it on the bus, and we would have it the next morning when
the business opened. Snow, cold, rain, sleet and hail, things that didn’t stop
the Post Office from delivering didn’t stop the Trailways buses either. I
cannot remember when they didn’t arrive, so next time I will ask if they can put
it on the bus to Escondido, rather than delay my shipping time with Fedex.
A clever bumper sticker once advised “this car gets 0 miles per gallon at
idle.” Consistency when riding or travelling is one key to making time. Given
10-15 minutes for a fuel stop, I can fill up, water a lemon tree, eat a Tootsie
Roll and be rested and riding again. Again do the math, 70 miles covered in one
hour=70 mph. 70 miles covered in 75 minutes=56mph. How many breaks did my seat
take on Fedex? And some wonder why we ride such great distances in such short
time, it isn’t high speed, but consistent speed. If you stop for 30 minutes as
many like to do and talk, based on my exercise above your speed drops to 70
miles in 90 minutes = 47 mph. Over a ten hour ride, I am 100 miles ahead,
resting by the pool, and we both travelled at the same speed. Any rider knows
this, does Fedex? Do they even care? We got your package, now you’re gonna
wait....if I had known I could have spent the weekend in Hollister. Or LA, or
any points in between. What did you do with your weekend, I’m not sure what
Fedex did with mine.
Consistency is a good thing, it builds faith, which then builds trust.
Works in any relationship, and even with God. Too many have no respect for
other’s time, and in their disrespect cause others to delay. Fortunately God is
consistent, and dependable. Imagine if prayer time with God was like Fedex
delivery, that it got hung up while waiting. Yet we see when Martha and Mary
asked Jesus to see their brother Lazarus, he delayed. At least they thought he
did, to him the timing was perfect. Lazarus had to be in the tomb to be
resurrected, you cannot save something that is alive. Works with sin too, and
we were all dead in our sin. It took Jesus to change our lives to save us.
Without the spirit guiding us, we never would have considered Jesus, and be like
others who seek false Gods, try drugs, trances, channeling or other means to
find God. God isn’t lost, we are, and he knows right where we are. Better than
Fedex tracking, he knows the shipper and the receiver, the route we need to take
and why. When it positively absolutely has to be there, He is. So maybe in my
whining my seat will be vindicated, Lazarus took 4 days in the grave, my seat
took 4 days in the truck.
So maybe there is a difference between waiting and delaying. Jesus had
Lazarus and his sisters wait, they thought he delayed and learned a lesson.
Today people make excuses for not coming to Christ. Delaying an answer, when
saying nothing is still saying no. And in their delaying many fail and go to
hell. The most popular tool of Satan is to make you delay in your decision for
Christ, and the longer the better for him, worse for you. Those that wait upon
the Lord shall renew their strength. Those that delay, or hesitate often fail.
Coulda, shoulda, and woulda is not a testimony I want to have. I coulda trusted
God, and look what happened when I didn’t. I shoulda listened and prayed, but I
didn’t. I woulda done as God said, but-------------------. fill in the blank.
So what are you waiting for?
You could be sitting by the pool resting or hanging out gassing up? Is
there any consistency in your relationship with Christ that encourages me to
want to be like you? To know Christ? To be saved?
Jesus is waiting, at just the right time he died for us. Your right time
could be today. What are you waiting for? A personal invitation? Well here it
is, do you want to be saved or not? Why are you delaying? What are you waiting
for? The what is really a who, a someone who is waiting for you. Don’t delay,
today was tomorrow yesterday. Time passes, where will you spend eternity? Time
is the only finite commodity we can never get back. Use yours wisely today,
spend time with Jesus. Hang with him like in Psalm 1. Be blessed, not
burdened. And while others delay, you live in the security that if I die before
I wake, I know the Lord my soul will take. Blessed assurance, now what are you
waiting for? Somewhere between here and there he is waiting. Jesus Christ,
when you absolutely positively need to go to heaven. Free shipping
included.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com