Bikers Galore: Radical Grace from the Book of Romans (1:5)
After a hike up the turkey path, in Leonard Harrison State Park, Pennsylvania, I
was approached by a woman on a motorbike. She was clothed like so many of the
bikers in the region, in jeans and a leather jacket. As she took her helmet off
her head, I noticed tattoos all over her arms.
She seemed eager to talk, and she told us she had visited Watkins Glenn, NY that
same morning. She was now at Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon, and by evening she
hoped to explore Route 666. She had a goal, and was determined to achieve it.
She said that the night before she had been unable to find lodging, so she had
spent the night in a cemetery. You and I might think this is creepy, but at
least she was in the company of those who do not snore at night. She said it
didn't bother her, she slept well, and that's all that was important to her.
I was surprised when I heard that although there was a bikers' convention going
on in the region, she indicated that the bikers ignored her. She was not part of
their "group", and was thus not welcome. I could see she felt lonely. Perhaps
this is why she sought our company! When she left for her next destination, she
waved at us with a big smile.
It's amazing how people open up when they feel accepted. There is a hunger in
each one of us to find acceptance. Rejection makes us vulnerable. Acceptance
makes us bloom, it makes us feel good about ourselves.
I find it strange that the One who unconditionally accepts us is the One most
people try to avoid. Would we be able to boldly say: "Whoever comes to me I will
never drive away." (John 6:37 NIV)?
We all have people in our lives who we try to avoid at all cost. There's Aunt
Augusta, for example, who constantly spits in your face when talking, or Uncle
John who bickers about everything. There is also your school friend Henrietta
who talks like a locomotive speeding through the prairies. And the list goes on.
We always tend to reject others if they don't quit fit our mold.
But not Jesus! He accepts anyone unconditionally. This is what God calls grace.
His love for us goes way beyond accepting us with open arms. You see, we may at
times accept people in our lives that may be annoying, but how willing would we
be to take the punishment of the crimes that they committed?
Yet this is what Jesus did! And He did it without hesitation! That's grace, real
grace!
"Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace…" (Rom 1:5 NIV)
"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for
the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2 NIV)
If we are feeling rejected by those around us, and discouragement roams the
hallways of our minds, may we remember that there is One who will accept us
unconditionally.
"Whoever comes to me I will never drive away." (John 6:37 NIV)
"By the way, do you know of a good cemetery where I could sleep?"
How will we respond?
"I have another tent with me. Why don't you join us at our campground?"
Rob Chaffart