Some guys are fast, and then there are those who go fast. My friend Bouke was fast, it came natural to him. He had an uncanny knack to get the most out of any motorcycle he was riding, whether on the street or on the track. Those who he beat on the track thought he was crazy, and those on the street thought he was nuts-what he was, was good. Consistently good.
He raced flat track, back in Pennsylvania, in the years before moto-x, where real men wore steel shoes, and turned left, who rode motorcycles with no front brakes, and when they could find the occasional TT, would do it with jumps and left turns thrown in. He would also race 1/4 miles, and on the occasion when he was beat, would sell his bike and build another. This being the early seventies, he rode anything from Bonnevilles on the track, to Mach IV, then up to the Z-1! And where the rest of us would have been happy just to ride one, he would hot rod each one, making it that much faster than anything else. Maybe he was crazy, but he was also fun crazy.
We would ride with him, and of course when the road opened up, so did his throttle. He was a local legend, and when the three of us got busted for going 111mph, the NJ State Police Captain only gave us tickets for improper registration, based on the fact Bouke had no license-in his other pants, and the plate on his Z-1 was from another Triumph, that now had a Trackmaster frame and was only used for the track. But the cop was impressed with how we rode at that speed, and how he could now brag about giving a ticket to Bouke.
He was so well known, that when we had a Big Mac attack, and rode by the local McD's, the lot of SS396, Boss Mustangs, and Road Runners would clear out-just in case he challenged them, and they knew he would embarrass them. He also had fast cars, and he was the legend who drove his 1962 Corvette through the Grand Union when the brakes failed-truth be told it was to much speed and too short a distance.
Also he was a local, and once when the three of us, me and him and his old lady rode to Scranton, about 300 miles round trip, he thought I was nuts. And he never could understand how we had ridden from Florida to NJ, and he thought we were crazy. Too each his own. Somehow we kept him honest with distance rides-he was always more interested in mph than miles per day.
As people got to know us as his riding buddies, and his friend, their attitudes changed towards us. Some would show respect, but others would challenge us. Just being known in the same context as him changed us. And the perception the riding world had of us. The cops already were an adversary...
When I first got saved, I was going to change the world, until I failed miserably trying to do it myself. Once I learned it was God that built the church body, I quit doing it, and tried to concentrate on what he wanted me to do. and as life got simpler, it also became more fun and challenging at the same time. He doesn't give us more than we can handle to do, and equips us to do His will. His success is based on obedience rather than volume, you might say one good deed He asks is better than a dozen trying to impress Him. I mean, what can you do to impress the creator of the universe?
I also find I work much better in the background, where I can do God's will without attracting attention to me. I still laugh-although it isn't funny, when I hear of a celebrity coming to Jesus, and he wants to change the world. Only when he remembers it was Jesus who changed the world, does he grow in Christ. No book tours, TV appearances, or celebrity recognition can get you closer to God-in fact they will only hinder your walk. and thus the attrition rate is high-it is all about Him-not all about you! And only as you realize life is an endurance race, rather than a sprint, do you alter your speeds, and your attitudes. And as you let Jesus be Lord, then do you enjoy all the things god has for you, and you are able to minister more effectively.
You see, the riding community thought it was by association with Bouke that made us cool, and I will admit it helped. But the true desire to ride was there long before he ever entered the scene. The church may think you are a good brother or sister, but only God knows your heart-remember it was Him that changed it, so why don't you try to please Him in obedience rather than the person next to you next Sunday. Just show them love-that is what impresses God, and also will impress them. Remember it is the truth that sets you free, not the perception of Christ in you.
Last I heard, people still talk of Bouke, some 40 years later. A legend, but there is always someone faster who will come along. Records are made to be broken, and legends made to be challenged. Jesus Christ is the truth-the way-and the life. Record-perfection, here and in heaven. Truth-some has challenged, and all have failed. Next time you feel Christ like, pick up some nine inch nails, find a cross, and give us a call. Jesus did His best work on the cross-suddenly the rest of us are so insignificant.
Look to the cross-and you will find you don't look so often in your rear view mirrors. Set your sights on things on high, and follow the truth-not the legend. And you'll appear to be careless to a dying world, when what you really are is carefree in the spirit!
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com
