Riding In the Rain

But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. - 2 Timothy 4:5 CSB

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing. 

- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 CSB

It is mid-May and by this time of year, one usually expects the weather to be getting better and scheduled rides to go off without a hitch. However, the spring of '22 has been a very wet and sometimes snowy season for the Pacific Northwest. This represents a conundrum for bikers: on the one hand, a cool wet spring gives hope for a relatively mild summer. Farmers get the rain they need for their crops and hay. A good snow pack in the mountains means plenty of moisture and fewer early season fires. However, a wet spring means cancelled rides unless your Road Captain is like our Road Captain, Ron. Ron is hardcore. If you tell him showers are forecast for the upcoming ride, he'll say, "Showers are fine. Wind and thunderstorms, that may be a game changer." Now, I feel it is my duty as chapter president to support whatever ride Ron says he'll lead. This past Saturday's ride was no exception. If Ron was going through with it, then I was going to go with him even if we were the only two. Angela said she wasn't going with us if it looked like rain but seeing my determination to support a scheduled ride, she decided to come along. So, with showers in a very accurate forecast, we took off for a picnic being put on by the Spokane chapter. The showers started as soon as the ride started and continued until we were about 20 miles from our destination. Throughout the entire ride and even into the next day after we were home, safe and dry, I questioned my judgment for going on this ride and allowing Angela to come with me. In talking to friends at church the next day, I said, "I hope someone was blessed by me being there."

CMA kicks off the riding season each spring with a conference called Seasons Of Refreshing or, SOR for short. SOR is a vital time where we gather and are encouraged by state and regional leadership. We are reminded what we are in ministry for. This year, our outgoing regional evangelist, Tom, was reminding us that sometimes in ministry, things get tough. Often, you have to be willing to endure hardship in order to reach the people you are trying to minister to. If you back out at the first sign of difficulty, you will not have much of a ministry. Those in ministry do well to remember, "It's not supposed to be easy." This message pricked my heart a bit because, I've often said, "I am a fair weather rider." Now, Tom wasn't necessarily talking about riding in inclement weather, but sometimes, "It's not supposed to be easy" has application to being willing to ride in less than perfect conditions. Later, during the conference, our incoming evangelist, Doug, told us about riding with Tom to National and as soon as they took off, encountering a snow storm but they soldiered on. I knew my policy of being a fair weather rider was going to have to come to an end.

Please don't think I'm saying I have to throw caution to the wind and endanger mine or Angela's life. Remember, Ron said, "...wind and thunderstorms may be a game changer." But riding only when the sun is shining is going to limit what I'm going to do if I'm going to lead in a ministry such as CMA. This applies both literally and allegorically. 

So, I guess I'm no longer questioning my judgment. I did what I needed to do which was step outside of my comfort zone. By the way, the organizer of the picnic was blessed by Ron, Angela and me being there. 

Late edit: This blog post came together unusually fast. The scriptures that came to mind were more applicable than I imagined they could be. The meme I found to go with this post couldn't have been more perfect. All I was trying to do was reflect on a ride and make sense of it. It is turning out this ride and the recounting of it has given me more food for thought (and prayer) than I thought possible.

Blessings.