Skip to main content

Scooter Pride


Scooters
It’s no secret to my church family that I own and drive a scooter. The fact is, since I can’t see myself while I am on the scooter, I envision myself looking pretty fly while I ride. But that all changed recently.

As I was riding along, scooter-style, to get some allergy medicine I passed another guy on a scooter going the opposite way. The fact that I was shopping for allergy meds should have been my first clue regarding my illusion to cool. As we approached, he pointed his fist towards the ground and in my direction. The following are the thoughts I had in the next few seconds.

·         Is that fist for me? Is that the universal sign for scooter drivers to show our support for one another?
·         I thought that was the sign Harley Davidson riders used for one another.
·         Why isn’t he wearing a helmet? Doesn’t he know that’s dangerous?
·         Should I respond with a downward-pointed fist of my own?
·         What if people see me? Will they assume I’m reaching for cool like a kid helplessly reaching for cookies on the top shelf, though hopelessly out of reach?
·         Worse yet, what if I swerve while trying to flash the scooter-sign? At least I have a helmet.

As he passed, I settled on one of those guy-nods that are universal for hello and what’s up. And as the moment passed, I realized I was too embarrassed to use the sign. Maybe it was because I thought a Harley owner might see me use their sign and come rough me up. Maybe it was because I realized I was driving a scooter to go get my allergy meds.

Then I realized that my decision on the scooter is like many other decisions you and I make every day. This one may not have had a moral right or wrong, but many of them do. Will I tell the truth or tell a little white lie? Will I help a person in need when I have the opportunity? Will I admit my love for Jesus no matter who else is around?

Life comes at each one us fast, oftentimes faster than a 50cc scooter. Will you be ready to make the right decision?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Facebook Maybe

Granted, I'm a pastor. I have Type-A tendencies. Ok, my tendencies border on freakish OCD behavior patterns, but... Few things bother me more than the Facebook 'maybe'. I suppose I could go on and on about the grey areas of our society and the refusal of people to accept absolute standards. I could discuss the great need of people to accept that what is wrong for one person is likely wrong for everyone. I should certainly be concerned about mentioning that someone might have sin in their life. But I don't believe the Facebook 'maybe' is quite sin. Perhaps if I were coming up with new sins, I would add this to the list. But alas... Some might think the Facebook 'maybe' did not exist prior to the Internet, but they would be wrong. When I was in high school and asked a girl out on a date, I would normally be told that if they had no other plans, if nobody else called them, if there was nothing good on television and their hair did not need washing, then per...
5 comments
Read more

Accountable

I recently officiated a wedding. The ceremony was simple, lovely, and ended with another couple professing to keep the covenant of marriage. But it all started with a clarification...from me. At our first premarital counseling session, as I have done with every couple I have agreed to marry, I clarified a couple of matters. First, I officiate Christian weddings, where both spouses-to-be are professing Christians. I firmly believe that marriage is difficult enough, without adding disagreements about God into the mix. Second, as a minister of Jesus Christ, I believe the pastor’s role in a wedding is to represent the blessing of God on that union. So we have several sessions of premarital counseling where we discuss married life. It’s not that I have this imaginary card in my head, with a picture of me on the front and my stats on the back. (You know, like a baseball card.) Ok, I do picture cards. Pastor cards! And being a competitive guy, I want my stats to look good. The number of coupl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mom

I will travel this weekend to Georgia to celebrate the life of my mom, who passed away just before Christmas.  A Celebration of Life service. That’s what we’re calling it. Because that’s what my mom wanted. She was quite clear on this matter. She didn’t want a funeral. She didn’t want people mourning for her.  As a Christian, she was very certain on her eternal destination and she wanted everything, in her life and death, to reflect that. There will be music, people sharing tributes, and a message given by her pastor.  If that sounds similar to a funeral, I agree. But semantics aside, let me share with you a few more things about my mom. Along the way, you might learn a few things about why I function the way that I do. As I’ve considered my mom’s legacy, a few words have come to mind. Steadfast My mom knew what she believed, lived what she knew to be true, and didn’t really care what anyone else thought about it. I have no inclination to remember my mom as some perfect p...
2 comments
Read more