For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy. - Colossians 1:9-11.

Someone recently gave me a motorcycle! Can you believe it? It’s not just any old cycle, but a Yamaha, Maxim X, with a 5 valve 700 cc monster. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry about it. I’m not sure if I do yet, either.

When I first tried to get it started, I couldn’t remember how to do anything with a motorcycle. Thankfully, someone was driving by and stopped to show me the finer points of the iron horse.

Eventually, when no one was around, I actually got it started and tried to take off. It surged forward a couple of times and then died. I started it again and it surged forward three times and then died. The third time, I gave it lots of gas, let off the clutch, and it surged forward and took off! Of course, I was unprepared for success, and it scared me to death! I was heading at warp speed towards the fence across the street from my driveway.

I swerved in the nick of time and missed the fence. I nearly fell over and kept wobbling down the street for quite a distance. All of this was happening in a matter of seconds, and I could not figure out why I wasn’t slowing down. The light bulb finally came on, and I realized that if I wanted to slow down, I would have to let off the throttle.

After I got it stopped, I was too afraid of the thing to ride it back to my house, so I pushed it all the way back and into my drive way. While trying to set the bike up on the kickstand, the thing fell over on me and scraped my leg up. Of course, I told Libby as little as possible about any of this!

Now, it’s almost two weeks later after that initial experience. I’m not ready to be in Easy Rider II or even take a road adventure to far away Idabel (10 miles), but I can ride that motorcycle. It’s really a blast. You feel the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, and you hear and feel the rumble of the engine. You can go fast or slow, but it takes lots of balance and coordination to shift all the gears and work the brakes when you slow down or stop. I imagine that in two months I’ll enjoy it even more (because it won’t die on me every other time I stop) and feel like I could go anywhere on it.

God’s will is a lot like my motorcycle. If you just hop on and give it the gas, you might be scared where it takes you. New Christians or believers who first become active often feel like they have jumped off the deep end, and that they’re on a “wild ride.” This is why some get off and “park” and never quite get back on. After a while, you realize that there’s nothing else like the “wild ride” of being in God’s will. He’ll take you places you never thought you’d go, and you’ll think it’s a blast!

It takes experience, time, and practice to be spiritually coordinated and enjoy the ride. You get these from reading the Bible coming to church, praying and applying what you learn from those things by serving God. If more Christians would do these things, their “spiritual ride” would not die every other time they try to start it!