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Article Archive |
2009
REALLY GOOD CLEANSERS
by Jim Morris
Springtime called with a voice as sweet as mountain dew. It was the time of year when the temperature rarely dropped below freezing and the trees were beginning to bud. Of course, the rains also came to turn the Texas clay into slimy mud. Even so, it was time to breakout the motorcycles for some fast and furious trail riding!
Though I had other bikes, my little Yamaha 125 MX was my favorite. It was light and nimble. It was perfect for trail riding in the winding woods. Now I needed to clean it up a bit and get everything working just right.
I rolled the bike to the sunlit front yard and began my repairs. After a while, the oil and filters were changed, the points and plugs were replaced and set, almost everything was adjusted and tuned up. Finally, I washed the bike down with a new, “really good cleanser.” The bike was fun. It was fast. It was great!
Dad called out, “Jimmy, supper’s ready!”
In a flash, I mounted & fired up my little motocross bike. I blasted down the long, narrow driveway to our barn-like garage with a vengeance. The bike was superb!
Now for the finale I planned on executing my trademark 180 degree turn at the last minute before reaching the closed garage door and then park the bike. Everything went great until I slammed on the rear brake to begin my turning slide. The brake pedal went all the way down but. . . Oh NO! SMASH!!!
The front wheel rocketed through the garage door as if it were paper. I was slammed up against it like a cartoon character on TV, and then ricocheted backwards to the ground. As I lay there in pain, gasping for air and wondering what went wrong with my brakes, I realized that it was that “really good cleanser.”
My plans of using my brakes for my trademark turn failed at the crucial moment and the result was disastrous. I never tried that stunt again, and I told my friends to watch out for that “really good cleanser,” too.
How many times do we live out our lives in such a way? We try to see how far and how fast we can live without suffering any severe consequences. After all, we’ve gotten by with a lot in the past. It was fun. It was fast. It was great!
We’ve even planned on making last second turnarounds to show off to others. We’ve done it a hundred times. It’s our trademark. We’re in control!
Then comes a time when we overlook the smallest thing like my “really good cleanser.” Our lives run out of control and bad consequences stack up on us like a ton of bricks. My friend, it is better to learn from our mistakes and to warn others to live wisely, too.
“He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray” (Proverbs 10:17).
04-29-09
# 17
