I Would Have Been An Un-Easy Rider

I have a friend who is in love with the romance of biking. Not peddle power, we're talking Harley's here. Like most 50-60 something guys I admit to imagining myself taking to the road with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider, at least up until that last scene, there's nothing particularly romantic or noble about being blown away by rednecks in a pickup. But my idle dreams of rolling down the highway on a crotch rocket with my then longish hair and beard waving proudly in the wind lasted about five minutes.

You see, my real love back then, and now, was my wife. She saw that wistful look in my eyes as I grooved to the soundtrack of Easy Rider, and she wasn't about to let this knucklehead get her onto a bike. Let me tell you, when you were married to a 22 year-old orthopedic nurse who regularly saw bikers brought in to the hospital in a basket, you listened when she said, "You are never going to ride a motorcycle!" And so, today, my bikes continue to be powered by nothing more than my size 101/2s. I am sure that if I had pursued that dream of the open road I would have been an uneasy rider at best. It wasn't just the fate of Fonda and Hopper that worried me. I had seen Lawrence of Arabia as well.

I have wondered if, had I gotten a motorcycle, if I would have been in the "You're violating my constitutional rights making me wear a helmet" Party? Actually, I guess I know the answer. I wear a helmet when I'm peddling. I put on my life-jacket while the boat's still tied to the dock. My seat belt is clicked before I leave the driveway. I teach Boy Scouts how to safely use knives and axes--"Careful how you swing that, Johnny, you might miss those toes later!"

But my buddy Bob Kopp, who actually has a motorcycle, even as he lusts for a bigger and faster one, while nobody's fool, clearly loves the wind in his hair, or did when he still had hair. (Sorry Bob) And I suspect that Bob would not turn down an opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court and defend a biker's right not to wear a helmet. Me? I'm not sure where I come down between absolute personal freedoms and the state's right to protect folks from risky behaviors. But, since jumping out of airplanes for fun isn't illegal, I'm not sure I get the whole biker helmet movement. People seem to be given a green light to get their thrills by all manner of risky pursuits. Hey, I still ride roller-coasters! And if bungee jumpers can leap off of bridges, and skydivers out of planes, and rock-jocks can scale sheer cliffs, and wildlife fanatics can play tag with snakes and alligators, well, I don't see what's so wrong about a biker being allowed to expose his or her noggin to a close encounter with the pavement.

At the same time, those of us who preach the Gospel try and convince sinners to surrender their freedom to indulge their illicit lusts and appetites, their passions for idols, their covetous impulses, and exchange them for the joy and privilege of becoming Christ's bond servant. But we Gospel preachers don't force someone to accept Jesus as Savior. We don't coerce people into saying, "Jesus is Lord!" At least we're not supposed to. I think perhaps the government might follow the example of how it dealt with the question of smoking years ago. Maybe something like this would be sufficient, on every motorcycle operator's license there is this caveat, "Warning: The Surgeon General has found that riding a motorcycle without a helmet can be hazardous to your health." The sad news about motorcycles is that some bikers, whether they wear a helmet or not, have accidents and suffer permanent brain injuries and death.

The Good News about Jesus is, whether we are Easy or Uneasy "Riders" (disciples), all who believe in Him, even though they die, shall live. And everyone who lives and believes in Jesus will never die. (John 11.25-26)