After 26 days on the road, we now have been back 21 days, and I still have
not recovered. My mind is still out there riding, still enjoying the US of A,
and wishing I was somewhere else other than home. There is life after So Cal,
not everyone has become a slave to nice weather and traffic jams. And so I look
at homes for sale in areas that we visited, and dream of cashing out and
moving. But the trouble with vacations, other than them ending too soon, is
that we see them through different eyes, and confuse reality with vacation. We
forget about crime being a universal act, taxes do cross state lines, and that
there is a reason property is cheaper in Iowa and Kansas. Why a fill up on my
Tiger costs $5 less than here, and how the republic of California has such a
grip on my soul. We ultimately become a slave to the weather, and because we
ride year round, and like the beach, this is where we all home. A place others
come to visit on their vacations...and I am slowly coming back to reality,
against my will, and not really my idea.
When we lived in Durango I saw too many people visit on vacation and fall
in love with the area. I knew some who went home and cashed out, deciding to
move there, and start a small business, only to fail when summer ends, and until
ski season the town is dead. And even during ski season, Purgatory is 30 miles
north. I knew men who lost their life savings and then retreated with what was
left of their pride back home. Worse off for the experience, and I never want
to be like that. Maybe the most valuable lesson I have learned from being on
the road. But as I look at the houses for sale in Albuquerque, and think of the
great roads in Iowa, my viewpoint is from one of no cares, no schedules, and no
worries. And no cold weather, snow, blowing winds, or anything else keeping me
from riding in the middle of January. So home I stay, safe and secure where God
wants me. His test for me was “I gave you everything you wanted didn’t I?” And
like a good attorney, he knows the answer before he asks the question.
And so it easy to get lost on vacation, to lose yourself in dreams of
better roads, nicer people, cheaper property, and of good times. But like John
B. sang, “paradise was nice, but then you can’t stay there forever...” So we
already are planning, really dreaming about our next ride, plans in place, and
we know that God will honor them with a big yes, a bigger no because something
better is planned by him for us, or wait, don’t be so anxious or think you know
it all. Wait, the hardest part, and our patience tested right after we pray
expecting an answer immediately. And I can’t wait to be on the road
again!
Many get lost on vacation, and never come back. Their minds staying
somewhere they travelled, and not returning with the body. Life so harsh that
anything is better, and chose an escape route that seems to look good, but ends
in disaster. And I know some who can claim that, despite knowing what they were
doing was wrong and is wrong. Retiring and selling all and moving away, only to
find all they had was where they were. A few years back a friend got mad at me,
he decided to move and make more money. He already had a house we all would love
to have, he wanted more, and we split ways when I asked him “did you pray about
it?” We all knew he hadn’t, and years later after slipping back into sin, he
admitted to me the problem wasn’t me, it was him, and he was paying the price.
Sadly when he died last week, his wife told me there would be no service, as
they had never connected with anyone in the ten years they lived there. He even
gave up on God, thankfully Jesus never gave up on him.
Death awaits all of us, and it is inevitable. Yet so many Christians who
claim to be excited about heaven are afraid of dying. Maybe it is like one man
told when asked if he was afraid to die, “I’m not sure, I never died before.”
Truer words than most would admit. Maybe it is the process, cancer, long
illnesses, and trials. I attended a friend’s funeral a while ago, who died
after a long bout with cancer. His celebration of life bothered me, as it was
all about the greatness of him, not one word about the illness that took him
home or how God took him through it. A chance to give credit to God who took
him through it and inspire others, yet I left empty, sadly not a celebration of
life but of him. Not what I would have wanted, and it bothered others too. If
the Bible tells us that Jesus is the life, what in our life celebrates him?
Looking back about the only thing missing was DVD copies for sale of the service
and t shirts to remember him by. His final testimony in life, all about him. I
hope to choose another path if I die before the rapture, but if I do, share the
testimonies of what Jesus did in my life. Make it a true celebration of life,
make it all about him. For even when I was in a coma and near death, I knew it
was all about him and not me. We can be saved, but still not be effective if
not in the spirit. And yes heaven will be better than anything we think, no
matter how we live after we are saved, but we are to be a witness, an ambassador
here on earth. To encourage others via the spirit to desire Jesus and repent,
to reunite with God in heaven. On earth as it is heaven Jesus taught the
disciples to pray, yet we think in heaven as it is on earth. And like my
vacation minded mood today, I long to be elsewhere, but know God has plans for
me right now, right here. And if all my joy is wrapped up in touring riding,
maybe I need to seek his face more. True freedom is knowing God where we are
right now, not dealing with today because we are looking at tomorrow.
Don’t wait until you die to celebrate life. Don’t wait until your life is
scripted, and elevated to an hour of exaggerations, celebrate Jesus now and have
life. Let your testimony today be one of a living God, and know true
celebration of life is knowing Jesus. Read your Bible, it says so right there,
he is the life. And see the spirit at work in your life as you live life
sharing him. Your life is not your own, nor are your vacations, for everything
is God’s, and all within it. Maybe the best way to want to be remembered is
three words, “he loved God.” Let your actions manifest themselves in Jesus,
know of whom you belong, and start your vacation today from the world. Only in
Christ will you find the rest you need, and the roads you need to rest on. Some
get lost on vacation, I happened to get saved on one. Maybe giving me a unique
insight to Jesus and vacations. On earth as it is in heaven, does your life
reflect that? Or do you relate to Cousin Eddie in your driveway? If so, maybe
you need some time alone with Jesus. A true celebration of life begins the day
of your salvation, not the day you die. Celebrate now, no bumper sticker or t
shirt will ever convey the message of Jesus Christ better. If your testimony is
all about you, what message does it send to others about Jesus?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com