No ordinary ride

Originally appeared on spirituality.com

I’ve always enjoyed riding on a motorcycle as a passenger. It’s a fun, wind-in-your-face, and close-to-nature kind of experience. But this particular day was an exception. For the first time, I felt vulnerable on the back of the bike. A few years ago, there’d been a tumble—nothing serious, but it played on my memory along with images of other incidents.

I didn’t want to give in to fear. But it came knocking loudly in the form of: “What if…?”, “remember when…?”, “but you saw…!” They were overwhelming, aggressive thoughts that left little room for lightheartedness and joy. What a shame! It was a beautiful, sun-drenched spring day and this motorcycle adventure was giving my husband and me the opportunity to enjoy the colorful views of Tampa Bay.

It was time to put on armor—mental armor. As a Christian Scientist I’ve learned that when fearful thoughts invade my mental atmosphere, it’s actually a call to arms. This warfare isn’t the stuff of steel or chemicals which the world promotes. It’s mental. It involves sorting through thoughts to expose the imposters.

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