Anytown, USA has its place where the fast guys hang out. For us it was the
local McDonalds, and at first no one took notice of BH and me on our cycles.
But showing up with Bouke one night, as soon as they recognized him the lot
emptied out. In this pre-cruising era, when you raced from light to light, and
the quickest guy won, Bouke was the quickest, and his bikes well known. We
enjoyed our fifteen minutes of fame there, and gained some newfound respect
because of just being with him. But one afternoon at a Weekend Cowboys picnic,
where the attraction was an 1/8 mile drag on gravel, he was bested by a lesser
bike with knobby tires, set up for the terrain. By lowering his rear tire to
about five psi he finished a respectable second overall, but not the overall
win. He was our fast guy hero and he didn’t win, we couldn’t face the word lost
at that point. But it seems that no matter how fast you are, on any given day
someone can be and may be faster.
Depending on what criteria you use for success, there will always be
someone faster, bigger, tougher, stronger, richer, skinnier, or with more
connections. So be careful what you base your strength on, for it may not be
enough, for today’s win may be short lived, tomorrow’s loss is just waiting to
happen. Some base their success on who has the most toys, or maybe I have one
that you don’t, money not being the object when it comes down to bragging
rights. Some keep their prizes locked up and hidden from view, never seeing the
street they were designed for, while others reign because the competition never
shows up. Or I have seen the lot clear when the fast guy does show up. This
can be applied to any aspect in our lives, in business I learned if I got an
account for price, I would also lose it when someone had a lower price. Seems
we base a lot on price, never considering the value, just what the price is,
many times until it is too late, and we neglected the value of our purchase.
Black Friday and now Cyber Monday may have a few disillusioned buyers upset, and
like I learned from selling cars, the bigger the discount the more the customer
thought they were getting ripped off, but at full price, never complained. Go
figure....maybe I’ll just stick to riding fast bikes....or just riding.
So to every Goliath there may be a David waiting in the wings just to get
his chance. My Rocket 3 shirt brags “Size Matters,” but no matter how fast it
is on paper, a Street Triple with one third the size motor will out accelerate
it, so beware. So when Goliath, the six toed, nine foot tall Philistine was
chosen to represent Israel, the Jews felt they had no chance. Based on
reputation alone, Goliath was already the winner. But in a pregame interview
David showed confidence, and not being intimidated by his opponent. “God was
with me against the bear, and against the lion, why should he abandon me now?”
And we all know the story of how he defeated his gigantic opponent. Or rather
how God did. Later in scripture we find the words “not by might, not by power,
but by the spirit of the Lord,” yet we still go out in our own strength. Using
Jesus as a backup, or an excuse for losing, when we could be winning. We will
not win every contest, so get over it, but the Lord will be with us, it is up to
us how he participates. David gave him the OK, the authority, and God
prevailed. But in our defeat we can learn of our weaknesses, and also of God’s
strength. For it is by his spirit we overcome, not of ourselves, lest we
boast. No one can save themselves, so why boast on what you have done. No one
can do it alone, so why boast on yourself, when you can boast in Jesus? Yet
many are like the fodder for lions, hearing the roar of the male, and rushing
into the ambush of females and eaten alive. We underestimate the enemy, who is
ready to destroy, but will be happy just to mame, to cause us to limp instead of
cripple us, or to embarrass us instead of totally destroying us. When we look
for inner strength do we seek the spirit or ourselves? Your record may show who
you trust and why.
While looking at bikes last week, I met a couple looking to buy a bike both
could ride on. Based solely on ads and specs, they sat on each bike, and were
going to make a decision, until I recommended, and the salesman insisted they
take a demo ride. The 100 hp claimed was only 60 on the dyno, and even less as
the way they rode. With one key ingredient overlooked, the seat his wife sat
on. In the showroom for five seconds it was OK, while trying to hang on, the
thin seat became a razor’s edge. Or like Brett used to say about my old Z-1
Seat, the only reason they covered it was so it wouldn’t rust. Don’t trust God
only on spec, get to know him. Go beyond the words, let the word be in you and
a part of you. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, a cheerful
heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps strength. David knew this, so
did Jesus. And so can we, but only in the spirit. Knowledge puffs up, and
there is always someone bigger or stronger. But there is only one God, and he
is bigger than any of your problems. How we handle adversity tells a lot of the
size of our God, my God beat cancer, heart disease, brokenness and loneliness.
Jesus defeated death! He is the replacement for displacement, the way and the
truth. I can do all thing IN CHRIST who gives me strength. On my own, the
track conditions change, some new guy is always out there to test you. Put your
trust in the one who can save you from death, who has the ultimate bragging
rights of you. For you. One missed shift can mean the race, one rule change
can cause a DNF. We are in this life to win the championship of heaven, we will
not win every race. Only in Christ will we never be losers.....
So next time you are challenged, you pick the course. The fast
guy wanted to race, I said on one condition, I choose the course. His ego never
recovered, I said “let’s race to Phoenix...” In life like on the track, we ride
a quarter mile at a time.....it may seem like we have a long way to go and a
short time to get there. But getting there is what it is all about. Never over
estimate the size of your opponent by under estimating the size of your
God!
love with compassion,
Mike
matthw25biker.blogspot.com