One of the benefits of being out riding all the time is I meet a lot cool people. But one of the problems is I can't remember all their names. So rather than cop an attitude, it seemed the more they knew about me, the more I couldn't remember, so I decided to quit trying, and just fellowship with each one as I was with them. And enjoy myself more. But I use two questions to help me remember. What do you ride, and where do you go to church? As most of my peer group falls into one or both of these criteria, it makes it easier to remember. I still miss a few, but I'm getting better.
And with being the only Triumphs in a mostly Harley world, I am an easy mark for people looking at and admiring our bikes. And listening to the stories of when they had one, and it opens up doors to share the Lord. One on one, personal, to a person with a face and a name. In today's society, we get burdened with numbers. 40,000 more troops to war, and forget that that is 40,000 families lives changed. Only 450,000 lost their jobs last week, that is 450,000 families lives changed. We don't see the faces, only the crowd. We have become a poll percentage, losing our identity, being categorized by what we believe, ride, or where we live. A per cent instead of a person. But names, and people still count.
When I was in high school, the Lynch brothers, Eddie and Brian, aka Brains, were my buddies. Eddie was the more down to earth one, and Brains, well his name advertised more than his actions delivered. We had a friend Mike Just, who was having a party-his parents were going out of town, and after being stupid all night we were going to crash there. So Eddie and Brains told their mom we are spending the night at Mike's. And she said OK.
The next morning she called my house and thanked my mother for having her sons over. To her surprise, my mother answered, "they're not here, they spent the night at Mike's." She just assumed Mike was me, and the brothers knowing that she would have said no, let her believe it. Not quite a lie, they were at Mike's, just not the Mike she had given them permission to stay with. Surprisingly they never asked her to stay at Mike's house again. Big surprise!
I met a man recently, about my parents age, who had fought in Korea. And as he shared his war stories, started to tell me how his only prayer was for forgiveness, and how he never he heard from God. He wanted to, but was engulfed in religion. And I marveled, because I hear from Him all the time. Jesus is very personable, and friendly. I can see Him when feeding the 5000, not sitting in a place of favor, but walking amongst the crowd. "Peter, how are doing? Dwight, how is your new bike? Wayne, glad you met Kathy. Stu, glad to see you got the Wing running. How was your trip to Vegas? Dick, it's good to see you packing double with Sherry. How's the new trike Fred?" You see, He knows you and He cares for you. You are not lost in the sea of faces, He knows your name. And all about you. And that makes the miracle of His love for us more amazing. The world has this misconception that religion is a set of rules to follow-and they are right. But with Jesus it is personal. A relationship, that grows forever. We want to be like Him as we know Him more, it's a choice and is not forced on us. A friend who is always there, and loves to spend time with you.
And He uses His friends, us as Christians, to show others His love. When we gather at church, or a rally, or stand in line at IN-N-OUT, He is there with us. Greeting others through us-never thought of Him that way did you, but we are His representatives on earth. Personally, I'm not sure how some of us got through the system, but He does, and allows us to be used-in His love. A lot of us are still a good before picture, while others are a work in process. But all who call on Him and believe are saved.
I may only remember you as the black Street Glide with flames, and you may only know me as the Triumph guy. But Jesus knows our names, and all about us. Spend some time with Him today, and become the individual the world promises but can never deliver. In a world where are all the same, only different, isn't it nice to be a somebody instead of a something? Only in Christ will you ever be all you can be.
And when it comes to Mikes, He knows us all individually. I like that. I don't have to remind Him who I am, come to a point in your walk that He doesn't need to remind you of who He is. What you ride, or where you go to church are temporal-this life is just a training ground for you to decide where you will spend eternity. I'm going to heaven, where they know my name. It's written in the books-I belong there. And no matter whose house I spend the night at, that gives me rest. Now if I can remember where I parked my bike-I'll ask that guy over there, he looks familiar....
love with compassion,
Mike
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