Watchin` my bike ride away

I remember the day I left the club. I had a whirlwind of problems, emotions, decisions, and other things going on like a cat 5 tornado—it was rough. The one thing that knocked the wind out of me was to watch my bike ride away on a trailer—my bike—the bike I built with my own hands. It broke my heart, however, it was necessary, and it ended up becoming a blessing later on. I owed a member some money, far less than the bike was worth, and they demanded the bike. I fought back at first, but my Pastor and others told me to let them have it. I did. It sucked.

Man it`s so hard to let go of the world some times. It`s so hard to believe that God has things all figured out, and that his way is always sweeter, better, and wiser than our own. On the other hand, some of the great servants of God had to suffer in this life. Some of these men and women lived in physical pain, hunger, and stark poverty—yet they had joy, and I`m certain they were richly blessed in Heaven.

I hear the song in my head as I write this, “Jesus, more of you and less of me, I want more of you and less of me.” I don`t remember the name of the song, or the right words, but I think you get it. The world looks so delicious at times. I see its fruits and I`m so intrigued and distracted. I walk up to the fruit…I pick it…I tell myself that it must be Gods will…I eat it…and invariably it`s rotten and bitter.

I look at Gods fruit and sometimes it looks plain, boring (just being real here), and completely unattractive—and yet when I eat it it`s always delicious, rewarding, and sometimes exciting. When it comes to Gods fruit, no matter what the flavor, the look, the taste—the reward—the one thing that is always a byproduct of eating it, is peace of mind.

As I sit here today, I feel as though I`m finally focused. I think the world and its distractions have finally become somewhat innocuous; I don`t say this with arrogance or naiveté, I say this because I have tried and tried so many times, and the world has always failed me.

I have a vision in my head of Peter standing on the beach at Capernaum as he told his fellow worker goodbye for the final time. I see him standing there looking at his worker pushing away from the shore—a look of uncertainty in the workers eyes, and Peter`s as well, as he pushed out to sea. Peter had finally decided that he would never again fish with his friend—his worker—because he would never leave the side of Jesus, and his life would never be the same. His motorcycle wasn`t taken away—he gave it away. 

Today, I sit here, and I know that I have a metaphorical motorcycle I must give away. I must stand on the shore, as Peter did, and push the boat out to sea—I am not my own, and Gods peace will replace the world I walk away from. Like Peter at Capernaum, I must watch the boat head out to sea—or the motorcycle ride away—turn to Jesus, and walk with him wherever that may lead. I hope this helps someone. God bless. WP