Random or Purpose

Late one afternoon last week after leaving the jail, I was in the parking structure across the street taking pictures of the Beemer. Okay, I like parking structures for taking pictures. That might seem kind of weird but the lighting is unique with various shades of gray and black and they're big structures with heavy lines of concrete. Parking structures will be an upcoming post when I get more photos. By the way, I don't generally hang out in parking structures.

Anyway, as I was taking pictures a young guy rode up on a Yamaha crotch rocket and parked next to me. It was one of those occasions when you meet someone and hit it off right away. This sort of thing happens more often since I've been riding.  I think the motorcycle is the means to break down barriers and open the conversation. He began right away telling me that just two months ago he hit some gravel while going around a curve and flew off the bike and hit the guardrail. He went over the guardrail and slammed into a tree. He broke his neck and one of his legs had a compound fracture of the femur. Wow, I said, and you're riding around on another bike so soon? With a boyish grin he said yeah! I told him how blessed he is to be alive and that not everyone lives through something like that; he agreed.  We continued to have conversation about life and work and family and bikes. When we said goodbye, as I got on the bike I watched him walk away with a limp.

About thirty minutes before this meeting, I had been visiting with an inmate who intends on representing himself in his upcoming trial. I don't know if he's innocent or guilty, that's not my concern. I was encouraging him that throughout the Bible God used ordinary people to do extraordinary things. You can imagine how daunting it might be to be your own lawyer and in charge of your own destiny. I told him that God is involved in our lives even when we can't see that He's there. I have to admit, I don't always think of that myself. But then I met the young guy in the parking structure who's living proof that God has a purpose and plan for each of us. It wasn't his time to go on that curve with the gravel.

I've been thinking a lot this week about that guy in the accident. As motorcycle and scooter riders we know the danger involved in our hobby. Why is it that some people survive bad accidents while others die? Is it fate, luck, Karma? Those don't have a good track record. In fact, they point to one word, random. When you think about it, it's hard to believe that the world is random. There's too much evidence of design and we pass by it all the time while riding. I was reminded of this in Steve Williams' last post that showed an image of a salamander that he found while riding.

I just wanted to throw out some points to ponder. My faith has a lot to do with my worldview. Most of the time it's hard to suppress. I'm not forcing my beliefs on anyone. My intention is not to offend anyone and not to be preachy or "holier than thou". I'm merely a harmless guy who's just a work in progress.

And I'm just riding and thinking.