As I mentioned previously, I don’t always know what, or if, I will write after I ride. I’ve had several rides lately that have not led to me writing at all. They were still very much needed rides and were very good therapy, just nothing I felt I was being led to share with others. Today I initially had no real specific thoughts going through my mind again as I started to ride, I was simply trying to free my mind from the million different thoughts going through it. All of a sudden I was being bombarded with thoughts from several different directions. As I now write, I don’t know exactly where it all will lead so I guess we will find out together.
As I meet other motorcyclists on the road, I of course do “the wave” and feel that camaraderie between bikers, even though I have no idea who they are. All I know is we share a similar interest for the feeling of freedom we get from the ride. I often do notice, however, whether they are wearing riding gear or not. Some riders are ATGATT riders, others are not. For those of you who don’t ride, are new to riding, or have just plain never heard of ATGATT, it stands for All The Gear All The Time. I’ll be honest, I am not that rider. I do always wear my helmet, gloves, vest, long pants and boots, but I do not wear arm protection when it’s hot out. I have started wearing a wicking shirt that has long sleeves, but not a jacket with protective sleeves.
I have seen riders in flip flops, sneakers, shorts, tank tops, no shirts, no gloves and pretty much any combination you can imagine. Being it’s the law in NC, they do all have on some type of helmet, ranging from the basic skull cap all the way up to the full face helmet with shield. Some bikes have windshields, some do not. As I got thinking about this today, I was reminded how as Christians we are told to protect ourselves by putting on the whole armor of God.
Ephesians 6:13-18
13 Therefore 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.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Belt of truth- we need to always be truthful with ourselves and with others. Satan will use lies to attack us. This is pretty much self explanatory to all of human kind.
Breastplate of righteousness-this was to protect the soldier’s vital organs from blows in the battle. A proper vest/ jacket will do the same when you are riding. It will help protect you in the event you experience an unfortunate incident that causes you to wreck.
Feet fitted with readiness-The soldiers then wore specially designed foot wear that had spikes that provided them with a steady stance on rough ground and helped with their balance. A rider who wears a good boot with tread on it, has better traction when stopping, and a slight heel can also help some riders to be flat footed which helps with their balance when stopped as well.
Shield of Faith-The soldiers had a physical shield they could use to defend themselves against weapons the enemy might try to hurt them with. On a bike this could be a windshield to deflect things that may fly at you, but it is also simply our faith as believers that He will protect us. That faith comes from hearing the word of God and believing and knowing He will fight with us.
Helmet of Salvation- Soldiers wore helmets to protect them from all directions, as do those who wear them when on a motorcycle. The head and mind need to both be protected. Our minds are the greatest battlefield. This is where our toughest battles come from and where the enemy attacks us the hardest, in our minds and thoughts. The Word of God is a powerful and awesome weapon that we need to arm ourselves with so we can quote it.
Sword of the Spirit-Last but definitely not least is the sword of the spirit. This the word of God. Even Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness and quoted his father’s words to make Satan flee. I have rebuked Satan out loud on my bike on more than 1 occasion and I’m sure if anyone heard me they thought I had lost my mind! In reality I had protected it 🙂 His word is so powerful, even the devil himself must flee when you quote scripture in accordance with His word. I never leave my driveway until I have said a prayer for a safe ride, with the protection only He can give.
I have other thoughts from today’s ride, but I feel this is where I am supposed to stop for now so maybe those ramblings will show up on another day. I hope you have an awesome rest of your day and thank you for “listening.”
James 4:7
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Ramblings of a Christian Grandma Biker 