If you are the kind that plans his next ride and then records it on a small
screen attached to an i-something, you need to read this. If the next time you
plan a ride behind bars, handlebars, you need this advice. It is about an
alternate way to travel and ride, one used for centuries, and a way that some do
still today. It is just the opposite of the way those who swear by their GPS
ride, and encourages us who swear at a GPS to ride this way. Not so long ago we
planned trips on folded out maps. Maps that may never be able to be folded
correctly and replaced in a glove box, but that cover the kitchen table during
planning. That cover a table at a rest stop, and fold inconveniently into a
tank bag. Ones that you can circle towns on, highlight planned rides, or record
past rides. Where you can see beyond the 3x5 world of electronics, and see what
lies around the area, the whole area that is shown on the map. Where canyon
roads that don’t appear on any GPS are shown, and a wider area is presented,
giving you the chance to find more interesting ways to get to where you are
going, or change your destination altogether. A much larger perspective of what
is out there. To add days to a ride, because some squiggly line on a map
interested you, and then you find out what you would have missed on a GPS. You
find that although it’s only a few inches on the map, that the smile per mile
far exceeds any value given. That the scope of the map may give some details,
and if it doesn’t, get a more local one. Take a trip that consists of more than
only right turns, that leads to great rides, and that you make the decision on,
rather than a voice telling you “turn right in 300 feet.”
The few times I have been subjected to GPS travel, we got lost following
the person who had one. Misguided rather than guided, the third time past the
AM/PM he figured we were lost. Not us-him. If he had taken the time to study
for the ride, he would have found a way around town, on some great motorcycle
roads, and eaten at more than a subscribed restaurant. Whose ratings were self
inflicted, the fact that no motorcycles were parked out front should have been a
dead give away. But maps can take time, which is time well spent. Not a
quickie nirvana for riding, but a way to enrich your mind and your riding
experience. And some experienced map readers, can only imagine why the road
goes like it does, so we take it, and find a ride no one else did on their GPS.
And these maps can be had for free, just for joining AAA, and they can take you
all over the US of A, and into many small towns along the way. Great ways to
spend cold winter days, or rainy nights, when you aren’t riding. Getting to
know an area, like the back of your hand, the only part you see while riding,
instead of the palm of it. It takes time, but in time you become able to read
maps, to see between the squiggly lines, and your next ride to a place you have
never been will be more exciting. That is unless a three-peat of AM/PM turns
you on....
Only a few inches on the map can change your life. You can find that the
few inches can be hundreds of miles, or a trip in a city. It depends on the
scale of the map. And each map has its own. From a map of the US, to a state
map, to a county, or city map, the scale changes as the area gets smaller.
Whereas two inches may have taken two hours once, on a local map it takes a few
minutes. So it helps to pay attention to scale...even if it’s only a few inches
on the map, it may take all day. Or you wish it had. Bible reading is the same
way. Too many read just the highlighted scripture sent to them daily, or only a
selected story. They miss the whole story, and sometimes the heart of it, by
only reading what is on their i-pod. But again, there is nothing like an open
book, to scan ahead, or look back, and get the whole story as God intended it.
That few inches on their screen confines them, just like a GPS confines them. A
legalistic view of God, and one where they neglect the spirit, and choose to
follow only what is given to them. They miss out on verses before and after
that may not be popularly quoted, but that God put in his word for us, let him
choose if they are important, not us. And still some have reduced Jesus to a
planned trip, and when trouble hits, blame him. Not being in the spirit, they
cannot be flexible in it, and cannot be led by it. Some detours are welcomed,
and a better ride, a place we wouldn’t go on our own. The same scriptures all
the time, the same rehearsed answers, and the same endings. Not bad, but not
with freedom attached. How many times have you opened your Bible and read on,
way beyond the passage you were looking for, and found things you didn’t know
were there. Things about Jesus, things that make you question teachings, and
finding answers via the spirit, for it is the spirit that reveals the mysteries
of the Bible. And Jesus. A Kindle may be convenient, but nothing compares to
turning the pages, and seeing both columns on both pages at once. Seeing more
than a sized screen, you see the word in a new way. Alive and exciting...isn’t
that what you demand of your God? Or are you relying on a program to guide
you? Remember the three P”s of legalism and failure in the church-programs,
processes, and procedures. If Jesus is not your way, he needs to be. He is the
way! Seems I read that somewhere.
At your next rest stop, when asking directions, or about a new area, ask
the man whose map is spread out on the table. Whose lines run deep, and the
folds are worn. He has been places, seen places, and can give good advice. He
knows, and you cannot teach experience. A computer may make your bike run
better, but a map will make the ride better. Works in life to, and with God. I
don’t get why the same person who has a big screen 55” TV at home, will rely on
a 3” screen while riding. Get out and get big, bigger, and see more. Get to
know all of Jesus, not just a portion of him. Not just standard lessons or
themes, go beyond a programmed relationship. Dump the processes, and ride.
With him. No set procedure, it is called freedom, and when the spirit guides,
there is liberty. Go way beyond what is on the screen, turn the pages and see
where Jesus leads you. Get out and experience Jesus on your own. Yes, you will
make some bad calls, some wrong turns, but he is always with you. Better than a
GPS, his wi-fi is truly wide. And goes beyond any set course. Some study, some
experience. Some share, others listen. Go out and build some new testimonies
today, go past the screen on your i-pod, open the book of life and see where it
takes you. Life is more than a few inches on a map, and a few right turns.
Remember, as any biker knows, two wrongs don’t make a right, but three lefts
do. Let Jesus make your ride greater. More freedom, more fun.
I learned a lesson one day on how you cannot teach experience. Ivan
Stewart was building race trucks, and hired a man out of college, who had never
seen a desert race. Based on his computer programs, he built a truck that fell
apart. Imagine that, the Ironman seeking advice from a novice. He should have
known better. Do you? Technology is a good thing, as long as it doesn’t go on
too long. Never substitute anything for Jesus. It may only be a few inches on
a map, but you can be like Maxwell Smart, “missed by that much....” As the
pages turn and the map unfolds, see it all. You will never know what you were
missing until you see what you were missing. See the whole picture Christ
offers, rather than squinting at a screen. If your God fits on such a small
screen, maybe you have been looking in the wrong place.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com