I first met Mr. McHugh one afternoon at Brookside Park. He was looking for
boys aged 12 to take over a paper route, and I jumped a the chance. One of my
friends, Steve, was giving it up, and it would be in his neighborhood, not
mine, a foreign land 3 blocks away on Newark Avenue. A long distance to go to
start, it would eventually take me almost to Shackamaxon School where I was in
sixth grade, but he agreed, and fro three years it was my source of employment,
seven days a week, early each morning. I was the paperboy for The Newark Star
Ledger, and rain, snow, heat, or late ball games never kept me from my route.
It taught me a work ethic I kept my whole life, I was working smart instead of
working hard, and making good money, enough to buy a car as a senior in high
school, and then a motorcycle. Suddenly all those early mornings seemed worth
it once I got the prize. But the real prize I got was a good work ethic, which
later in life was shown to me, work smart instead of hard. We all work hard, we
all don’t work smart. For instance...
The route had been run differently, I rearranged it to get rid of as many
papers as quickly as I could to lighten my load. But still get all the papers
out on time. The Sunday inserts and comics came on Saturday night, I had them
ready to go when I got my papers the next morning. And by adding a front
basket, they actually made one for newspapers back then, to my rear baskets, and
including the sack around my neck, I could deliver my whole route in one run,
instead of two. I was learning to work smart, to pack correctly, and that
crossed over to motorcycle touring. So many ask “how much do you take, where do
you fit it all?” The answer is simple, “four days.” We pack for four days, do
laundry as we go every 3-4, and keep the load light. We know we will buy more
shirts along the way, we even used to travel with just a tank bag. I have gone
on cross country trips with just a small duffle bag. Work smart, ride smart.
Live smart.
I also learned Friday afternoons was the best time to collect, so
immediately after school I was out and collecting. The other route guys did it
on Saturday, I wanted to play. When applied to my work life, I did all my work
first, then had time to ride. I never had to hurry back to finish homework, I
was out playing, and later out riding. Get it done, then leave, and forget
about, which made for longer, more enjoyable rides. Still does today. I also
took good care of my Schwinn Typhoon, and made enough money to buy one of the
first Sting Rays, so I had my work bike and my play bike. Working smart had
allowed me two bikes, and time to ride them, I could collect on the Sting Ray!
While the Typhoon worked every morning. An early lesson in MMD, Multiple
Motorcycle Disorder, you can never have too many bikes, because the moods
change. So do the roads travelled. So I worked smart, and rode smart. Now
about living smart....that is still in process.
When God appeared to Abraham, he told him he had a new name. El-Shaddai,
God almighty, sufficient, and all competent, knowing what to do and how, and
doing it. We need the El-Shaddai side of God in our lives, or we go about life
working hard, harder than we have to. Some approach Jesus the same way, not
knowing he is sufficient in all things, we only need Jesus, and nothing else.
Yet religion has taught us incorrectly, we need more study time, more church
attendance, more Bible reading, more prayer time, and so on to be a better
Christian. No where in scripture do we find this to be true. If God is truly
El-Shaddai, all sufficient, does he need our help, can we make him love us
more? We are told to not serve two masters, yet we serve ourselves more than we
care to admit. Why we do things, how we do them, the attitude we do them with,
reflects how we view God. Are we wrapped up in legalism, embracing rules we
cannot keep, adding stress to our lives, or do we trust the spirit? We have
dealt with God the father, the creator, Jesus his son, who died for us, but
don’t embrace the spirit, the third part of the trinity. We even call him it,
when he is as much God as Jesus and his dad. It is embracing the spirit that we
begin to live smart, to see the wholeness of God. God is holy, complete,
needing nothing, that make him wholly and holy. We aren’t but try to be. When
all we need is right there for us in the spirit.
When we first come to Christ we see things will be different, but still
lived as before. It was the spirit working with and within you that made the
changes. You made decisions on feelings and desires, but soon found them
changing, and doing the things of Christ. Gently the spirit is telling you “do
this or don’t do that,” exerting his lordship in your life. Slowly and
sometimes painfully cutting the ties that bound you in sin in your old life.
Greater is he who is in you, El-Shaddai, than the one who is in the world,
yourself, or selfishness. The quicker you learn and adapt Jesus to your life,
you can drop your futile actions and begin the blessings. Where the spirit of
the Lord is there is liberty. You get to choose, so why not choose the spirit
and avoid the hassle? Or is the pain and suffering in your life so much fun you
don’t want to give it up?
So when we are given the command by God to walk blamelessly, he also gives
us a way to do it. We cannot on our own, only by his spirit, which he gives
freely. Our choice, then to obey, and finally trust him. I used to throw
fleeces as Gideon did when faced with a decision, until God asked me one day
“why don’t you quit throwing fleeces and just trust me?” God’s way is always
best....Many things changed my life, I never thought one morning getting a paper
route would be one of them. God has today all scoped out for you, for your
benefit. To put it bluntly, man plans, and God laughs. Or my experience, I
screw up, and God forgives. Like my life, after the route was done, there was
always tomorrow, and it started all over again. The news, like life goes on.
So does Jesus. Read the book, trust the spirit, and enjoy all God has for you.
It may be as cool as a new bike, as rewarding as a job well done. But in all
things, give him the preeminence. And watch as he adds all other things to
you. Life being the first. Or you can be as Mr. Coleman’s paper boy learned
while collecting. Mr. Coleman took a handful of pennies and threw them in his
yard, “this is where I find my paper...” Stupid hurts, live smart, play smart,
ride smart. Hard work never killed anyone, are you willing to take the chance
when you have the spirit to show you how?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com