What I am Learning From Mountain Biking II
2) You Have to be Equipped Properly. It is very important that you have the right equipment when you are mountain biking. Just because someone lists to sell a bike as a mountain bike, doesn’t mean it’s a mountain bike. Just because it is a Trek, or a Cannondale, or a Specialized brand bike doesn’t make it a mountain bike. They make more than mountain bikes. It’s important that you are equipped properly for the task at hand or you can go out and get hurt pretty bad. You may want to invest in a hydration pack (especially in Florida) so you can stay hydrated and endure the heat and don’t have to be carried off the trail because of heat stroke.
This is an issue sometimes for Christians who feel called to do different things. The problem is that they have never done what they feel called to do before, or they did it for a while somewhere else and had a measure of success elsewhere, and think they know how it should be done somewhere else.
I wanted to address empowerment and equipping for a moment. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that the Holy Spirit would come upon His disciples to empower them to become witnesses. Many would take that scripture and run with it saying that God has empowered me to do what He has called me to do. This is true, but I think most forget at this point that Jesus spent 3 years teaching the disciples the things they needed to know, equipping them for what they were called to do. Doing what you are called to do could be the most disasterous thing that could ever happen to you if you haven’t been equipped.
There are others (like myself) that we have done certain things in the past who think we know how everything ought to happen and be done. We are a pain in the butt sometimes for new, innovative leaders . Yoda in “The Empire Strikes Back” said something that has really been sticking with me for a while now. He said “You must unlearn what you have learned.” This is what people like myself that have been raised in church need to do. By default, when we don’t know what to do, we will go back to doing things that we used to do cause they are familiar and safe. This isn’t 100% percent bad, but if it’s stuff you did 10 years ago, then you need to be reequipped to face today’s challenges in a new and fresh way. The church has changed in the last 10 years. What worked before isn’t necessarily going to work or be relevant to today’s culture. We have to get a fresh revelation of who He is and what He wants to do in our communities so we can be effective to do what He has called us to do.
Being called by God to do something is incredible! Remember that patience and wisdom will put you in what God has for you at the right time and equipped properly for the trail He has for you to ride.
Kevin
