The Life Lessons of a Motorcycle
“Motorcycles have the tendency to gain their stability back when you hit the throttle. Relationships can be the same way. When things get rough, come up with a plan, hit the throttle and move forward.”
In case you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a big fan of Donald Miller. This is an excerpt from his latest book titled, Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy.
I like this motorcycle analogy for a couple reasons. 1. I’ve always had an interest for motors and raced ATVs around Missouri for a few years. I even talk about one of the dramatic races in my book. Reflecting on the saying “hit the throttle” takes me back to the adrenaline that pulsed through my veins as I made each lap. And 2. It gives me confidence. Just like you have to trust the motorcycle to regain its stability, you have to trust the relationships in your life.
That’s something that has been on my mind a lot lately. I question whether I actually trust my relationships… While I feel like I have many strong, genuine relationships in my life, more now than ever, I also feel like I haven’t done that with all of my relationships.
Especially when building a new one, at times I feel like I have bailed off the motorcycle, brushed off the dirt and walked away rather than hitting the throttle when things got rough, grey, sketchy, whatever you want to call it. It’s not that I don’t trust the people involved, I do. What scared me from hitting the throttle is that I didn’t trust that things will come out all good and dandy in the end. Now, looking back, I regret not hitting the throttle.
Let’s kick it up one more notch, I started comparing it to my faith…
Faith and relationships are the same.
As a Christian, I have a relationship with God and I trust Him with my life. There’s a catch though, life isn’t fair. Things can get shitty and it’s hard to put your full trust in God at times. BUT, we never bail off and quit life.
I have faith in God that it’s going to get better, and it ALWAYS does. I can’t count how many times I’ve prayed for patience and strength to make it through certain situations. We need to have that same mindset with all relationships, or any life obstacles for that matter. Have faith in them. If you truly care for each other, spouse, parents, brothers, sisters, friends, whatever, have faith in the relationship that it’s going to work out. Hit the throttle and gain stability again.
Plus, last time I bailed off an ATV I broke my collar bone. I definitely do not need that again.
