​ROAD GEAR FOR THE SOUL

I look forward to this special day every year.  Mother’s Day?  Nope.  Memorial Day?  No, not that one either.  The Big Day is the day when I get my Harley out of storage for the first time of the season.  That Day is a sure sign that another Michigan Winter is history, and that we are deep enough into Spring that the threat of snow and ice are behind us.  That day was last Saturday.
 
Now that it’s back in my garage and ready for the road, I am inventorying the things I will need for the riding season:
 

•             leather riding jacket (the one my former congregation gave me)
•             leather chaps
•             leather riding gloves
•             helmet
•             rain gear

 
As I look those things over I remembered an incident that occurred back around the time of the Harley Davidson 100th anniversary.  My wife and I and two other couples had gone for a ride to have breakfast at a diner.  It was morning, and a bit cool, so we had jackets, chaps, bandanas, and gloves on.  As we followed the waitress to our table, a lady watched us, smiled at us and said in a cheery good-morning voice, “I like your outfits.”   We exchanged smiles and pleasantries as we waited for our order to come.  It was a nice little visit with a nice stranger who asked all the usual “biker” questions:  Where are you from?  Where are you going?  Do you all ride Harleys?  What kind is it?  What color is it? 
 
Later, as I was diving into my omelet and hashed browns, it occurred to me that that nice lady had the impression that we dressed that way as an “outfit,” that it was all a fashion thing.
 
Not so!  Every piece of clothing I wear when I ride serves the same very important purpose:  protection.  Let’s start at the top and work our way down.  A good DOT approved helmet is essential safety equipment.  It’s called a “brain bucket” for a reason -it’s the best and only protection for the head.  Next comes my jacket.  It’s black because it doesn’t show road dirt and bugs that are a part of life on motorcycle.  It’s leather because, if worse comes to worse and I end up sliding along the asphalt, I would much rather that the skin that’s being left on the road is that of a dead bovine than my own.  Same deal with the chaps.  Good quality over-the-ankle boots give support for the ankles and provide some protection from the little bits of road debris that you never notice in a car but would be painfully obvious if it bounced off your flip-flop clad toes or bare ankle.
I always carry rain gear on the bike because riding a motorcycle in the rain is not any fun at all.  I NEVER do it on purpose, but if I get caught I need to have some protection.  Rain isn’t just wet, it’s also rather hard at 60 miles an hour.  In the end, it’s all about being as safe as I can be when I’m on the road.
 
Protection is not just important for the body; it’s important – way more important – for the soul. Paul, that first century road warrior for the gospel, calls on us in Ephesians 6 to put our gear on: “...put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. {14} Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, {15} and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. {16} In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  {17} Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
 
The Roman soldier knew a thing or two about protective equipment, too.  And like motorcyclists in a Michigan summer, they were everywhere.  Paul borrows the terminology of their equipment to describe the armor God gives us in his Word.  The belt of truth – the divinely inspired Word of God – puts everything within reach that we will need to stand against the Evil One.  Our hearts are protected by the righteousness of Jesus in which we trust.  That’s the righteousness he forged for us every day of his life in this world by keeping God’s Law perfectly for us.  It’s the righteousness we have, too, because he has washed us clean in his blood at Calvary.  Now we stand safely and securely before God himself.  Our readiness to stand and fight the good fight of faith and even advance against the enemy comes from the gospel that assures us that victory is already won in Christ.  The truths of the Christian faith arrayed in the Bible defelct and extinguish the lies and false teaching Satan flings against us.  The helmet? – We know that eternal life is ours.  We know the Good Shepherd and we know he knows us.  Through his Word, God gives us the knowledge of the Truth, the Way and the Life.  And into our hands the Holy Spirit has placed the Word of God, that living and powerful sword, by which we attack the Evil One and execute search and rescue missions for those held in his kingdom of darkness.
 
That armor of God – every piece of it – is not a fashion statement.  It all serves a practical purpose.  So when you throw your leg over another day, and head out onto the road of your Christian journey through life, put your road gear on.  Every time.  You’ll need it.