What! I can't bring my make-up!

After a summer vacation to the Black Hills, my husband got the 'biker bug'. Although he had been talking for some time about getting a motorcycle, the bug bit him bad while visiting the famous Sturgis Rally! The thought of the freedom of the road and leaving your cares behind had him convinced that he wanted to be a biker dude. I will have to admit that I wasn't all that excited about the thought of becoming a 'biker babe', however in support of the cause I went along for the ride.

This fall we scheduled a weekend without the kids for us to spend some time together and of course it had to entail the NEW bike! Being a new biker, he was still learning the ropes of riding and so to branch out, we decided to go on a mini road trip. Now by mini, I mean 30 miles outside of Cedar Rapids to the booming metropolis of Anamosa. We had heard of a great new restaurant in town and thought a day on the bike enjoying the fall weather and then a nice dinner would be a great weekend treat. Believe it or not the only hotel in Anamosa was full, so we had to make our hotel reservation in the next town which was an additional 30 miles away.

Being a bit of a high maintenance girl, as I was putting things together, I am thinking that after a day on the bike I planned to shower, do my hair and make-up, put on a nice outfit, and go out for dinner. However in order to do that, I would need to get back on the bike and ride 30 miles back to my dinner destination, thus completely defeating the purpose of doing my hair and make-up. So on that pretense, I made the decision that I was just not quite ready to be an official biker chick and that while he drove the bike to Anamosa, I would follow in the car with my suitcase in tow!

During my quiet time today, as I continue to study Matthew and Mark, I had to chuckle as I read about how after Jesus called His disciples, He then sent them out with specific instructions. Those instructions were "Take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave as a testimony against them." Mark 6: 8 - 11

WOW! No food, no suitcase, no money, no clothes, and ONLY ONE pair of shoes! I thought and I can't go 30 miles without my suitcase chucked full of all my stuff!

Jesus was beginning His ministry and now He had equipped His disciples to go out and heal the sick, share His message, and drive out demons. While His following was growing, there were still others who were against His teachings.

I put myself in the disciples position. What must have they been thinking? "You want me to go out and do what you have been doing, rely on others to provide shelter, food, and wash my clothes, and when someone rejects me, simply 'shake off the dust on my feet' and go onto the next one. Come on, can't I pack just a little carry-on bag, just in case?"

Jesus instructed that no carry-on was allowed and then went so far as to share what would also happen to them on their journey. And by the way, you will be persecuted,arrested, flogged, and men will hate you because of me.

But you know what the disciples did? THEY WENT ANY WAY.

How often do we step out in faith? In November, I shared a blog that faith was just a few steps at a time. I think that was the mentality that the disciples took, when they set out on there journey. "OK, lets just go to the first town."

Jesus promises us that "Whoever acknowledges me before men. I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33

Our stay on earth is so temporary, but our stay in eternity is FOREVER! Where will you spend your eternity, because of your choices and decisions here on earth?

Are you willingly to step out in faith and share what God has done for you in your life? Not knowing how it will be received, are you willingly to take a chance? Are you willing to give up a comfort in your life in order to carve out some time each day to spend working on your relationship with Him? What are you willingly to give up?

So while I am still working on being a biker chick, what I have learned from this lesson is that it is OK to mess up my hair. May be the freedom of the road is not such a bad thing. May be just taking off with only the clothes on my back and just seeing what happens, is an exciting adventure I want to be a part of! May be it is easier to leave all my stuff at home!

Jill