At an early age I was impressed with a Ken Purdy story, of driving down the
highway and passing a Ferrari parked along the side. He was cruising at 70 mph,
and within a minute, the Ferrari appears in his rear view mirror. In a flash it
blows by him, and in a few seconds is gone completely. His response,
“gentlemen, that is speed.” As much as I have been impressed by fast cars and
bikes, I always wanted to be the guy in the Ferrari, just blowing by a sports
car, for no other reason than I could. Speed is a relative thing, brought down
to reality by numbers on the speedometer or a cop writing you a ticket, but no
matter the speed, no matter who is part of the bench racing, someone is always
faster. And as we get older, some get faster, and the lies bigger. Like the
150 mph Sportster, or the Chevelle doing 130 and the shifting into fourth gear,
we know they aren’t true. But speed has always captivated us, how many of us
were once the kid pumping gas and looking at a 150 mph speedo on a motorcycle
and asking “wow, will it go that fast?” and the owner knowing it won’t but not
wanting to burst our bubble, smiles and nods “been there myself.” As we take it
all in, and pass the story along as the days go by. Attaining a certain
celebrity status at every retelling, as if we were along for the ride.
George Carlin, comedienne and philosopher, once remarked, “anyone going
slower than you is a moron, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac.”
Seems he has broken down the society of drivers into two categories, and we each
fall into one. Or the other. One afternoon riding down the 405 at 70, a
miracle in itself, one lane was noticeably backed up, while the others were
moving at 70. Thinking it may be an accident ahead, or a moron who didn’t know
how to drive or shouldn’t be, as I passed on the left I looked to see who it
was. To my surprise it was my father in law, who when he saw me smiled and
waved. I took off not wanting to be embarrassed....maybe finding out more than
I needed or wanted to know about the family I married into. He was a moron to
me, I was a maniac to him. Which raised more questions than it provided
answers. Proving speed is a relative thing in more ways than one.
But one thing I have noticed over the years is that everyone in every
condition, no matter the road or its posted speed drives a speed they feel
comfortable at. Each moron in his own little world, just as each maniac is.
Until the two meet....and something happens. Being a sucker for happy endings,
sometimes I am suckered more than a sucker. In a time when there was no king of
Israel, we are told every man did was right in his own eyes. Sounds like some
drivers I know, but it also tells us that as we judge by what we see from the
outer man, God looks at the heart and makes judgment. Many times I have passed a
big dollar sports car driven by a woman out of control on her cell phone,
thinking “what a waste of car,” unable to hear her conversation. “This maniac
just sped by me on his motorcycle, what’s the matter with people like that?”
Only to end up sitting in the same row with her at church. Both of us convinced
we are right and the other wrong....scary to think how God sees our hearts. We
forget there is a consequence when we make up our own gospel as we go along,
maybe we are all morons and don’t want to admit it. Or don’t until reminded by
someone else. But God reminds us there is a penalty for sin, or for going your
own way and straying from the truth. But because he loves us he sent Jesus to
be the way back, so we can have a relationship with him, and enter heaven,
rather than being cast into hell.
Throughout scripture we see the law of retribution revealed, there is a
penalty for each wrongdoing. We live in a universe guided by God’s rules, not
ours, and even the atheist who denies God’s existence will come before him
someday. Life is based on Jesus Christ, the way, and the life, the truth on our
rules. You may never see an electric current, but touch it wrong and you know
of its existence. God has given us physical laws to live by, deny them and it
could be death. Deny his spiritual laws and it means death. No do overs like
in kickball, either you are in or out. No instant replay.....you enter eternity
either a moron or a maniac. Maybe better described by the Greek as idiotes,
those who believed whatever came along, and perfectly describing religion
today. What ever makes the crowd happy and comfortable, don’t want to upset
them about sin and its consequences, mention Jesus and suddenly we are talking
religion. Forgetting Jesus came to rescue us from religion and its bondage.
Yet many are too slow and passed by regarded as morons, or fly by too quickly
regarded as maniacs. Only when using Jesus as the common denominator do we see
our sin and that we all fall short. Even on the 405....
The problem with speed, power, money, or looks is that there is always
someone faster and quicker, more powerful, richer, or better looking. Only
Jesus breaks it down to love, and that because he loved us first, we can love
him now. When we go beyond moron and stop just short of maniac, we can see
Jesus as he really is. How he is implanted in every area of our lives, but
doesn’t interfere, but waits for an invitation to come in. Napoleon when asked
who would win the war, replied “God is on the side of the one who has the
heaviest artillery.” But later in defeat, despite the heavier artillery,
claimed “ man proposes, God disposes.” So God has instilled in us the basic for
knowing him, our sin, but also the way to know him personally. Jesus. The
elemental beginning of life begins when we learn to fear and respect God. When
we find out who really is in control, and it ain’t us. Turn to him today, or as
I lane split in stop and go traffic, I pass the Ferrari stuck next to the
Hyundai or the SUV, all idling at zero miles per hour. The great equalizer.
Moron or maniac, you decide. Maybe the blind man given his sight by Jesus said
it best, “I don’t know if he is good or bad, all I know is that I was blind and
now I see.” Gentlemen, that is power. That is Jesus. That is love. Proved
again and again like one afternoon on the 405. Hang on for the ride of your
life!
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com