Do you wanna give it a try?” Scott asked as I was eyeing his ’78 Goldwing motorcycle one summer afternoon in the early 2000s. I had a minibike as a kid and knew how to ride a bicycle, but jumping on a full-size motorcycle seemed a little intimidating.
I ended up taking him up on the offer and taking the bike for a spin up and down the road. Scott, who would become my father-in-law, had been riding for decades, so he made it look so simple and easy. But I soon found out that it takes quite a bit of control, given the weight of the bike, and then every throttle, brake, shift, and lean needed to be done very intentionally.
Riding through the turns was a much different experience than driving a car, where you simply turn a wheel. I found the key, though, was keeping my focus. No matter how sharp or winding the turn, if I kept my eyes on where I wanted the motorcycle to go, my body would naturally lean into it, and I would push through the turn well. I would get myself into trouble if I started looking down or off to the side in those turns.
There are times in life when you approach a turn, and it’s easy to get distracted by looking at where you’ve been or comparing yourself to others, and you then start to veer off course. There is a reason why, when describing the Christian life, the Bible often tells believers to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus — keep looking ahead to the One who not only leads the way but helps keep the momentum through the twists and turns on the way to the goal.
In Philippians 3:12, Paul encourages believers to press on toward Christ, who is heavenward. Like the throttle on the bike, he’ll empower with his Holy Spirit, and a believer will put their focused faith on him throughout life.
So I encourage you to keep a good forward momentum that is ready for the turns and obstacles by keeping your faith and hope in Jesus through hearing and reading from His Word and joining others in worship.
There is nothing like riding ahead with a powerful engine purring just beneath you, with the wheels gliding along, working in harmony with your movement and balance — a picture of the Christian working in harmony with their role and God’s role in life.
Here is how Paul puts it in Philippians 3:12–14: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
