If You Want the Best Life Possible, Ride with God

Posted on Apr 11, 2019 Topic : Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Tim Riter

Back in my mid-20s six of us from southern California went on a month-long mission trip to Penasco New Mexico, just outside Taos. Four rode in the van with our gear, as two of us cruised there on bikes. Both scooters looked custom. Mine—a 750 Honda, slightly chopped, “Easy Rider” American flag paint, a custom seat, but the bike was basically how the factory made it. Joe’s had a 750 Honda motor and was totally custom and totally cool—winning the foreign show bike competition at that year’s Winternationals.

When the month ended, I rode the bike from New Mexico to Nashville to see family, about 5,000 miles for the overall trip. The only problem came when a piece of grit got caught in the carburetor jets and took half an hour on the side of the road to fix.

Joe had a different story. Near Williams, Arizona, the tightly fitted rear fender had rubbed just enough to blow out a tire in about 800 miles. Not too many miles later, Joe began swerving in his lane, trying to raise his seat from the bike’s seat. That rising got complicated because his bike had no standard foot pegs, just the raised highway ones. Bad wiring had caused the battery to overheat, warming the bike’s seat considerably. He did make it to Penasco, but half way back home he put the bike in a pickup bed. Unrideable.

OK, I confess this next step took me some time, but I later saw the bikes as a spiritual metaphor. Honda engineers are educated and experts at building bikes, and my stock 750 showed it. The next summer I covered 31 states and 13,000 miles on a three-month trip with no problems. The design functioned. But then some nimrod said, “I want a radical rake on it, with a peanut gas tank, concealed wiring, and a cool paint job." Although it looks good, it doesn’t perform optimally. It abandoned the experts' original design.

Our lives are like that. Rather than being a cosmic spoilsport who wants to take away our fun, God the Creator is the Honda engineer who wants to provide the best riding experience. The best humanity. The best life. Jesus told us he came to give us an abundant life (John 10:10). He knows his stuff.

Frankly, I’m still working on this trust, but I’m growing. Just this morning in worship I thought of how my life satisfies me now, particularly compared to my earlier trajectory. Following Jesus is the biggest no-brainer of all time. Trusting that Father knows best ranks right there. And my worst times have been when I thought I was smarter than he. He’s God. I’m not. And I live better with that.

Have you thought of God’s rules as a source of loss? How? Which ones? Have you seen the benefits of following his lifestyle? Think about how tremendously countercultural following Jesus is. What can you share with us that you’ve learned about the guidelines given by God?