Monday, April 9, 2018

if you have to sit somewhere....













My friend Frank and I used to agree, if you must sit somewhere, we prefer sitting on a motorcycle.  While some sit and take up space after a meal, he and I were always the first one ready to ride, and ended up waiting, sometimes for the others.  We did a few long trips together, he was one of the few people I would ride with.  No excuses for distance, weather, the road, or how long it took to get there, we both rode, now I ride without him, he is in heaven, and on our last week’s 1550 mile ride, I thought of him often.  Usually in the mornings, when first setting off.  Although many motels now offer what can loosely be described as a breakfast, we usually pass on it, and ride 50-100 miles, then eat, having worked up an appetite, with another side benefit.  We beat the rush.  Rather than waiting in line for breakfast, we are riding to it, sitting where we rather sit.  So while you smell the ham and eggs and fresh coffee, while waiting in line, we are out taking in the aromas of the day, then stopping to eat.  I think Frank would have understood....
Another benefit is while the rush hour traffic is filling the roads, we are sitting and eating.  What a difference an hour can make in your ride, and your attitude.  Instead of creeping along on your five cars per light ride, we are headed out of town, if we ever made it into one to start with.  Small town America is still out there, and even though the suburbs now invade the countryside, we still take the back roads, and miss the traffic, and find the better Mom and Pop diners.  Going against the grain has always been a characteristic of real riders, so while the huddled masses of Harley owners wait in line, we are out riding.  While their lean angle consists of being on their kick stand, we are grinding pegs on back roads with light traffic.  It seems that if we ride our own ride, we see more, get to ride more miles, eat at better places, and seat time consists of riding, instead of waiting in line.  We each have a way that seems best for us, but at the end of the day, comparing miles and the roads you rode them on, the meals and the lack of crowds, make us glad we chose our way.  We ride to escape, not to be stuck in traffic, not to wait in line, and not to be stuck doing what we do all week.  The weekends, and now the weeks are made for riding, so if you must sit somewhere, I won’t be found at the bar, rather behind a set of them, riding the back roads of America. 
A recent breakfast in Reedley at the Main Street Café, reminded me of the basic breakfast food, and how good home cooking can be on the road.  A simple breakfast burrito and breakfast sandwich, so big they couldn’t be finished, while great service and a window seat provided the entertainment.  For some just another day, but for us another place to eat and add to to our list of places to return to.  The night before eating at a local Italian restaurant, the owner stopped by and we talked about the area, families, and why she left the city.  What may seem like a boring lifestyle to us, was what she was looking for, which to me means less traffic on the road.  But a great meal, with lots of food, home made meatballs and sauce, and fresh baked bread.  Try that at Denny’s!  So we stay the back roads, and ride better, eat better, and let God bless us more.  May your ride be as blessed.
Not all who wander are lost, and not all who are lost wander.  It seems we all are looking for that place where we can find peace, where we can ride at our own pace, get up when we want, eat what and when we want, and have the funds to do it.  We consider that a peace that somehow escapes us in our daily lives, but it is available, if only fleeting for the moment.  While some seek the peace of the moment, I have found the peace that surpasses all understanding in Jesus Christ.  It can be found in the ride, the road, or even the meals, as he guides us on our daily schedule.  But with one quick wrong decision, it can be gone.  And so I fuss, rather than just turning around, repenting, and continuing my ride.  Sound familiar?  Does it seem like you are a target after a blessing, or that your karma demands you suffer because you have been blessed?  While some trust to luck or karma as they call it, I tend to trust Jesus, and find out that many detours in life have brought us to places we would have missed otherwise.  God loves to bless us, so why not let him?  No such thing as karma when God has it all under control.  Yet we get bummed when things don’t go our way....
And while some trust the situation of the peace, I have learned to trust its source, the spirit.  I watched as a young woman cried out about her feelings, and how because she wasn’t getting what she wanted, she was upset.  It was not her fault, and blaming everyone else was her way of dealing with it.  And what were we going to do about it?  With that attitude she has a long life of suffering ahead.  Fortunately Jesus goes beyond our feelings, and warns us they will let us down.   The heart can be both nice and evil, depending on how we face the day.  How many leave church feeling fulfilled, then encounter a line at the restaurant and complain.  Jesus didn’t change, sadly they didn’t either, just their situation.  Just because you were happy today, doesn’t mean the road will be the same tomorrow.  But with Jesus along, on the roads he gives us, and we make the right choices, even what appears to be a bad choice or situation can be a blessing.  Don’t shift your dependence from the one who provides it to the feeling that is produced. 
So we go about our days, trusting that God has our best things in mind.  We ride for an hour then eat.  We sit at the counter and listen and watch, rather than stand in line and grouse.  We get off the freeways and find a freedom, we see things, meet people and make acquaintances we otherwise would have missed.  We now tend to choose a direction rather than a destination, and have become flexible on the ride. There are posers in all walks of life, some go to church, some know Jesus.  Some are religious, some know him personally.  Some own a motorcycle, some ride it.  Some have been there, while others only dream about it.  So Jesus, like choosing where to sit has its blessings.  So for some it is a mystery, for we who know Jesus, who live with him everyday on all types of rides, in all kinds of weather, we trust. Or you could be left standing waiting for your name or number to be called.  For us seating for two on a motorcycle cannot be beat.  For it really is seating for three.  Funny how Jesus never hurried and was never late.  How he spent his life on the road.  How all the people and blessings were magnified on the road.  Maybe there is more to this Jesus and riding thing than we ever thought...
Just a thought that came to me while riding....if you have to sit somewhere, sit with Jesus, and never eat or ride alone.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com