Monday, September 24, 2007

A View from the Back of the Bike ; Ezra 1-2; Psalms 84-85; Luke 7


Ezra 1: 1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
2 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: " 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.' "
5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings. 7 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. [
a] 8 Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince
Jeremiah spoke the words but the Lord moved the heart of the king and the hearts of those who listened/heard the words that jeremiah spoke. It hit me AGAIN that the words I speak are not important but what He does….and that got me thinking about being on the back of the bike. …
The driver of a motorcycle is called the ‘rider’. A passenger you are called just that, a passenger. As a passenger your vision is hindered, it’s not like sitting in a car. You are not, cannot be responsible for the trip, there is no backseat driving as a passenger of a motorcycle.
You can offer your opinions to the rider on where to go but ultimately you are a passenger…You are not the driver, or in motorcycling it’s called the RIDER. You are BEHIND the rider and you see sideways what has already passed unless you maintain the uncomfortable position of continually looking over the riders shoulder.
Many times Dan has seen something dangerous and avoided it but I didn’t/hadn’t seen it and probably a good thing too, who knows how my reaction could have affected his driving. A car swerving in our lane and Dan has to be attentive to the road and even seeing so far forward and aware of everything to avoid impact. I hear about them later or sense a tensing in his shoulders or a deep sigh of relief after the danger has passed. If I were constantly looking over his shoulder I think I would distract him from all that he as the driver has to see. You are a passenger.
A passenger IF they trust their driver gets to enjoy the ride, and become satisfied with the seeing what has already passed, gets to observe things that the driver may be desiring to show them , gets to go places that the driver may be wanting to take them. And in the going there is A LOT to see, a lot of time to just watch, to in that watching engage your mind and heart in ways that IF we’re driving we don’t / can’t have that luxury to do. Then WE have to be the ones watching everything and be forever vigilant to the other drivers and what goes on in every lane of traffic.
The spiritual analogies or metaphors to this are to me huge. I trust Dan to take me on the bike and I am learning to, desiring to trust God with this life. I fight so hard sometimes to maintain the illusion of control and yet when I trust my driver there is so much more to this life than I ever imagined.
What I see is God in everything.
· I see a woman’s blog written for her own children and journey impacting a woman who recently lost her husband and is heading down a road ‘ blogging woman ‘ has been on for awhile and the other woman can see her feelings are not that odd, not that unique….that’s not the word they are UNIQUE to her but to see someone who has shared her experiences and is making it, struggling through it gives her HOPE.
· I get to listen to women whose experiences are not so different, unique to them but not so different when you see the bigger picture. One woman trapped in unforgiveness and struggling to free herself and her creativity in the freedom, another woman trapped in loneliness , another trapped in fear….and all of them on the same Sunday witness a visual that speaks to each of them.
· I get to listen to a girl wanting desperately to live an authentic life, get to listen to her try and figure out what exactly that is, get to just point her to a journey that will take her there.
· I get to see how reading in a guy’s blog about his struggle with ALS and his honesty in sharing everything goes along with that, goes along with someone else on a trip and when they see someone physically struggling how what they’ve read helps them to help the person struggling.
· I get to watch people’s journeys intersect. See how what they’ve experienced and how they’ve gone through it , when their paths intersect with some else going through something similar they minister to each other. That simply in and through their common experiences and their faith in the Rider they get to share a incredible ride.
· I get to watch people be born to a journey. Not a life of ease or unstoppable fun but an incredible journey to a freedom we have no idea exists. A journey of learning to embrace that freedom and learn to live in it. After being bound for so long that is what we know and freedom in a word is attractive but in an action is completely foreign and unknown, making us want to go back to what is known.
· I get to in a training to volunteer with Battered and Abused women in the midst of statistics that heap hopelessness on you to experience a sense of hope in the following, the riding along. Not to think for one moment that there is anything I can do to fix anyone else just to be so secure in the HOPE I have to know that maybe there is a love I can show them that they maybe haven’t experienced before and that maybe in that they will find their own journey’s.
· I get to struggle with the thoughts and feelings and doubts that used to consume me in a way that doesn’t consume anymore. It could and would IF I were driving but in the time to think and allow my heart to be moved . I can struggle and wrestle through those doubts and feelings and come back to the HOPE. At least that’s the stuff that I think about on the back of the bike, when I stop trying to peer over his shoulder and see and control the where I’m going.
This is probably not making a whole lot of sense but it is something I will be thinking about. What kinds of things do you see as a passenger?

5 comments:

jennypo said...

Hi bjk,

I loved this post. As a passenger, I see both ugliness and beauty in my journey. But the ugliness doesn't lie heavy on me because I am beside one who has power over it. I see Him, if only from behind. And if I have to close my eyes, his heart beats loud next to mine. When fear rises up, the rumble of the engine drowns it out, reminding me of the great purpose that carries us forward. And the wind of freedom blows across my face, and I am warm and carried forward, and I lay my head on the Rider's shoulder, and how good it is to have somewhere to go, and someone to go with me...

Remnant Sons MC said...

it is always good to drop by here from time to time...your insight is encouraging, real, and certainly not pretentious. there is very little of that today n the me universe we have created for ourdelves.

i am not into shamleless plugs, but since you ride, check this out and please let me know what you think.

www.primalfaithriders.com

thanks...

Jada's Gigi said...

Awesome Post! Why can't we all jsut be the passengers He intended and stop trying to see over His shoulder to the road ahead...everything is so much easier and better is we just relax and let Him drive.

and I especially love this part
" an incredible journey to a freedom we have no idea exists. A journey of learning to embrace that freedom and learn to live in it. After being bound for so long that is what we know and freedom in a word is attractive but in an action is completely foreign and unknown, making us want to go back to what is known."

Freedom in truth is scary....especially when we have always known our bonds...even when He breaks chains we tend to want to stay put....Lord, move us!

Melissa said...

Thank you for this post and thank you for...you! I see a woman giving of herself freely and wholly, not only to surrender her journey to His Destiny, but to guide others to ride more freely on the back of the bike, allowing the wind to whip through our hair as we take in the glorious view, not knowing the destination, but trusting the one who is taking us there...

Nehemiah 6:9 has been a source of strength for me, especially reading the chapters before...Nehemiah see a scary situation and weak men who are scared and worn out, and what does he ask of God...but for him to strengthen his hands.

so i go said...

loved reading this post, and knowing i could now see you both in my head. it's an honor to be on this journey with you, and to see what God is doing in your life.