Blame it on the suburbs, blame it on the people who lived in the suburbs,
blame it on the ads about the suburbs, maybe even blame it on the ads the people
who lived in the suburbs they read, but something new was popping up in their
lives, the second car. Just a generation ago, it was the bus or trolley, or the
train, but now living outside of the cities, a second car was deemed needed for
the stay at home moms, remember them, to take care of all their duties. From
taking kids to school, remember car pools, to shopping at the new shopping
centers, to attending the social affairs of the day, that second car became a
necessity. Many times like for my parents, it was an older used car, that never
saw the inside of the one car garage, again a novelty in older neighborhoods.
For my parents it was a 1950 Ford Tudor bought for $50 to take me to
kindergarten, while the Buick was driven by my Dad. But manufacturers like
AMC’s Romney marketed their Rambler as the perfect second car, one that Mom
would not be ashamed to be seen in, and the second car went from necessity to
vanity. By the time I was in first grade, the 1960 models had been released and
we got compact cars like the Falcon, Corvair, Lancer, and Valiant to combat the
VW Bug. And America would never be the same....
By the time I was driving legally, second cars were the norm, some with a
third car, usually old and used only for snowy days. The snow car had its
place, as even the second car had status with two car garages becoming popular.
Rarely driven, but always seen, these beasts of burden served their purpose
until unfixable or they rusted away, and replaced by another former second car.
So if it works for cars, why not for motorcycles? I confess I have MMD,
Multiple Motorcycle Disease, sometimes one is not enough, or the mood changes.
We are down to four from a high of nine, including our old touring bike, the
2006 Tiger with 113,000 miles on it. Retired to back of the garage status, this
year with all the rain it has become the rain bike, and I have put more miles on
it this year than the past few combined. That alone ought to tell you about the
weather, but I find it still runs great, is fun, and having it checked over last
year needs nothing but to be ridden. If car people can have snow cars,
motorcyclists can have rain bikes, and this one has seen its share of rain. Two
flash floods, water up to the Triumph on the tank, multiple storms when
traveling back east, it has seen 48 states, and this years downpours. If any
bike qualifies as a rain bike, it does. And as of this morning, it is the bike
of choice to ride, even if it doesn’t rain. So I encourage you to find a place
in your garage for a second bike, for rainy days or for fun, maybe to tinker
with on those days to wet to ride, saving an orphan from the crusher, and maybe
even getting out and riding it in the rain. What a novel idea.....
Sometimes I wonder how I ever got so many bikes, as non-riders claim “you
can only ride one at a time,” they obviously don’t get it. Maybe the same ones
living in a 3000 square foot house with no kids, and a three car garage that the
car won’t fit in because of all the junk they cannot part with. We are warned
not to love the things of the world, misquoted many times by those who don’t
know it is OK to have things, just not have them own you, just as they quote
money is the root of all evil, not the scripture telling us it is the love of
money that is the root of all evil. But in 1 John it is broken down into three
categories, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
It is born into us to be better than our neighbor, to strive to be all that
we can be. Jesus tells us that even though we are in the world not to succumb
to it. Use his spirit as the barometer of what we need, not what we feel we
need to keep up with the Jones. Being rich is not a sin, but the attitude
towards the riches if placed above God is, remember it is God who lets some
become rich to help the poor. We live in a fallen world, but have a risen
savior, lest we forget. We also battle the flesh through the lust of the eyes.
Imagine a world with no fashion seasons, or stylish trends. When growing up I
never was allowed to wear jeans to school, and t-shirts were for weekends, as
were sneakers. Now it is Nikes and jeans with a shirt with a message. Whatever
is popular we strive to copy, no one wants to be out of style. Except maybe
those who are so far out of style they are in style. An evangelist once joked
how to tell the wife of an evangelist. He spent all day getting his hair and
nails trimmed, his suit pressed, and his shoes shined. He had to look good for
the people, after all who wants to look poor when representing God? And then
here comes his wife, some homely thing with her hair in a bun, an ill fitting
dress from two years ago, old shoes, and no makeup. Sound familiar? Both ends
of the eye spectrum, I go with Greg Lurie who says “if the house needs painting,
paint it.” Instead of a joke from an old customer “I just dropped my wife off
at the beauty parlor for an estimate.” Don’t fall for the old poster of Jesus
in long hair and sandals and think it is spiritual to dress that way. If that
lust goes beyond simple needs, maybe the emperor does have new clothes after
all! Beware the flesh doesn’t take you to extremes....
And of course the devil, Satan himself. Who at one time was the brightest
shining angel in heaven, until he got prideful and challenged God. Given a
short time to do damage here on earth, then the dark pit awaits him with fire
and brimstone forever. I watch as so called Christians blame him for
everything, not realizing they are praising his power more than that of Jesus.
The devil made me do it made Flip Wilson a star, but no devil can make a true
Christian do anything he doesn’t. Yet we tell God no so easily, yet succomb to
sin easier. Add in a denomination’s theology, what society believes, and soon,
our world is influenced by anything other than Jesus. We are told love hopes
and believes all things, are your lusts making you love God more? Bringing you
closer to him, and becoming a better example? Or has he been demoted to the
status of a rain God, when in trouble you call, Easter and Christmas services
fulfill a requirement, and bumper stickers and shirts with spiritual messages
all you have of Jesus in your life? It is when the things own us, when we put
them above Jesus that they become sinful. Pride appears in many subtle ways,
but when you start seeing it for what it is, then you can deal with it. Now
everyone won’t ride in the rain, yes I have a rain car too. But just as
motorcycles are meant to be ridden, God made us to worship him, not his
creation. Adam worshipped Eve’s advice over God’s, changing the way we live and
dress forever. Do we do the same thing? A lot of bad advice is given freely,
and taken freely too. Only Jesus forgives. Not my rain bike or any bike. We
may need more than one bike, but one God, Jesus Christ is all we need, in fact
we can do all things, how, “in Christ.”
So beware, John does not say don’t have anything to do with them, he says
do not let them rule over you. Do not set your heart on them, do not strive to
have the most, the newest and shiniest. Just to be better than anyone else.
For when we do danger looms ahead, it starts in the head and soon perverts the
heart. If you are constantly wanting something you don’t have, the symptoms are
clear, but so is the solution. We are in the world to be ambassadors for
Christ, to deliver his message. Not to obtain wealth and prestige. The bumper
sticker may say “he who dies with the most toys wins,” but he still dies. He
leaves the choice up to us. Which brings me to a dilemma today it is sunny,
what will I ride? Hey I’m no dummy, the one with gas in it. And hope it
doesn’t rain....
The way, the truth, and the life. Anything else is a substitute. Even in
the suburbs, Jesus is Lord! Talk abut extreme!
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com