Motorcycles & the Messiah, Crossing Boundaries

Starting to ride a motorbike on the road was hectic scary for me. Sure as a kid I’d some experience riding on the farm with my brother, going up and down creek gully’s and racing through mobs of sheep. But I was younger then, and ignorant of the pain of falling off.

These days, at 48, I’ve hurt myself a few times and I’ve worked out something—its painful!

Pain is a wonderful teacher, it’s hard to forget, so we’re more likely to learn the lesson.

Take for example crossing other people’s boundaries, it’s painful. The definition of boundary is a line which marks the limit of an area. Cars driving along the road have a boundary, they need to stay inside their lane, if they don’t, mayhem will result, both to them and the oncoming vehicle. As in the physical, it’s sometimes in the emotional; We all have boundaries as people, and sometimes we cross others, and sometimes they cross ours.

Crossing boundaries can be like hitting an electric fence, you don’t know you’ve crossed a boundary until the zap of 8000 volts of pulsating electricity jolts you. Just by living our own lives, we can unintentionally cross into another person’s territory. Whether it be through finances, relationships or material possessions, we can all overstep our mark at some point. Some of us are not sensitive to the warning signs, and completely ignore them, trouncing over the boundary. Don’t worry though, we’ll get snapped back into our own paddock by the other persons speech, physical gesticulation or fists if need be. The further we encroach over the boundary, the harder the shock required to push us back.

Stepping over someone’s boundary may not be the shock of an electric fence, but still it’s hopefully enough deterrent to educate us into corrective behaviour. There are two boundary crossing behaviours that will cause pain and my advice would be to proceed with caution:

1.Telling others what to do. Unless there exists a natural authority line in work-(boss to employee), marriage (husband and wife) or parenting, it’s a good idea not to tell anyone else what to do.

2.Telling others what to think. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and we shouldn’t be telling anyone what to think. If you are concerned about someone’s attitudes, maybe you can ask questions to get the heart behind their thinking.

But I digress! I was talking about motorbike riding. Mounting that Ducati and having 1200 cc of engine under you is daunting, not least in my mind is dropping it and the cost of repairs, plus there’s also the damage to my ego.

But that’s when I’m going slow, when I found myself on the freeway riding up from Wollongong to Sydney, ripping through the air at 110km/hr with nothing but a piece of material between myself and the hot unrelenting tar road, my internal conversation went something like this: “If I fall off right now, I will die, if I fall off right now, I will die”. That line of thinking would then alternate to, “Jump off you die, jump off you die.” This happened over and over all the way home.

It’s been said that faith is not the absence of fear, but persevering regardless and doing it afraid. Yes, picturing myself as human devon cooking on the concrete, I was certainly scared riding that beast. It’s amazing though how your faith grows as you continue, because now I can ride without these thoughts of fear consuming me, and actually enjoy the ride!

Riding along, I had this random thought that I’d like to share with you: I think that travelling with God is like riding a powerful Motorbike.

Yes, that Ducati 1200 cc engine is powerful and so is God, so make sure you treat them with respect. If I abuse my bike or do something careless, I’m going to find myself kissing that hot road quicker than you can slap a mosquito. On the other hand, treat that powerful motor with respect, and the confidence has me overtaking cars easy as cutting butter with a hot knife.

Many people I’ve talked to don’t believe in God, and when prodded for a reason they respond by saying “God doesn’t answer their prayers”. Sometimes I think what people are really saying is, “God didn’t do what they asked Him to do”.

But it’s imperative to know there is a strong correlation between how we approach God and his response back to us. Take the example of Jesus hanging on the cross with 2 criminals on either side of him. Both these criminals asked him for help, but Jesus only answered the pleas of one.

Here’s what it says in Luke 23:

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Would you even bother answering a guy who hurled abuse at you, demanding you to save him, like he was entitled? Or would you answer someone who stood up for you, knew that he didn’t deserve any help, but humbly asked to be remembered?

Just like any authority figure, we must come to God with respect if we want a favourable reply! That doesn’t mean He has to do our bidding, then He isn’t God, and we make ourselves to be above God. But to ensure the best chance of a positive response, then we need to treat Him with the respect He deserves. He is powerful, and just like a Ducati, be respectful of His immense power and you can have full confidence and trust in Him.

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