More From Andrew Sulgit

It’s been about a year since I submitted my devotional “The Gift of Rest,” and I’ve gotten better at placing more importance on that gift. Rest can come in many forms: a stolen power nap in the afternoon, a favorite half-hour sitcom, a conversation with a best friend. Riding is one of my favorite ways to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of modern life and find rest. In thirty years of motorcycle ownership, I’ve found many theological lessons on two wheels.

When you are on the bike, your focus must be present, but your eyes must be looking ahead on the road or through the turn. If you look ahead at where you want to go on the roadway, there’s a good chance you’ll get there. If your eyes lock on where you don’t want the bike to go (what riders call “target fixation”), you might find yourself in a bad situation as the motorcycle can follow your focus. To a new rider, it takes some acclimation, as instinct tells you to lock your gaze on the road directly in front; after all, it’s the closest thing to you. But through experience and practice, the counter-intuitive nature of looking past the obstacles to where you want to be becomes normal.

Isn’t it that way for us? We often fixate on the problems in front of us rather than focusing on God’s plan. That route may not be immediately obvious to us, but it’s always ahead if we look for it and trust that the road will get us there. I wish you all safety, comfort, love, and rest these remaining days of 2023 (and beyond). If you can’t see the path ahead, know that good things await you just around the turn if you focus on the destination paved (and paid) for you by God.