Hey, did you pray?

     Growing up, I loved motorsports. Since I can remember, I have always loved dirt bikes and ATV's. I was blessed enough to have a dad who had the same interests when he was young. Needless to say, eventaully I got a dirt bike of my own, and the rest is history. To this day, I still love riding almost more than anything else. When I was in Jr. High, I got my first ATV, and have been riding on 4-wheelers ever since.

     When I reached the age of 16, I was so excited, because I could drive, and that meant I could take myself, and my friends out to the deserts of Arizona and ride whenever I wanted. Or so I thought. Of course my dad was worried, and at first would not allow me to do so. I guess I proved to be a little responsible after getting a solid job, and working hard, and couple months before my 17th birthday, my father finally let me borrow his truck and head for the desert with some friends. But he made me promise ONE thing. He wanted me to make sure that I said a prayer, asking for safety, before I left. I quickly agreed, and went on my way, not thinking much of it. But I did as he asked, and prayed for the trip. We had a great time, and everything went smooth. When we returned home, my father was glad to see that we were safe, and from then on trusted me to go without him. But he always made me promise to pray for the Lords protection.

    

 Since that day, my friends and I have been on countless riding trips to many different places. Each time we have gone on these rides, we have been blessed to return in one piece. Our bikes have not always had that same luck. Like many, we have had our fair share of wipeouts, crashes, and breakdowns. But, there was never a time where any of us suffered more than small cuts and bruises. Its kinda hard for me to believe sometimes.

     It wasn't untill this last year or so, that I have really understood what it was that always kept us safe. I am not sure if I remembered every singe time to pray, but I almost always would ask for the Lords protection and safety before these trips. I can see now, how blessed we were for asking the Lord for that help. It may have been easy to believe that we were just good riders, or really cautious, or that we were just 'invincible", even during the hard falls. But I know that it was our Father in Heaven watching over us that kept us safe and returning home.

    There is not a good thing in this world that we are given, that does not come from God. Because of that, I know that we can call upon his help for anything and everything. He wants us to, and blesses us when we do. Dont ever shy away from calling upon your Father in prayer. We should remember to pray always, even if we dont feel like it. Like the saying goes,"If you don't feel like praying, pray untill you do..."