Chapter Health
By TOM Palazzolo
HALF HEARTED
I write this we are in selfimposed
quarantine for
AS
COVID-19, so I’m not sure what the
world will look like in late May and
June when this goes out in the
HeartBeat. However, this time at
home has given me a lot more time
for things like Bible study, which I
have sure enjoyed!
I was reading in my scriptures
recently in 2 Kings about when Elisha
was dying and King Jehoash of Israel
came weeping to his bedside. He was
very distraught, crying out, “Father
oh my Father!”
Elisha apparently had some final
business to conduct with King
Jehoash because this was his
response to Jehoash’s deep grief and
concern:
In 2 Kings 13: 18-19 (NIV), Elisha
told Jehoash to take up his bow and
a handful of arrows.
“Take the arrows,” Elisha told
him, “Strike the ground.” He
struck it three times and stopped.
The man of God was angry with
him and said, “You should have
struck the ground five or six
times; then you would have
defeated Aram and completely
destroyed it. But now you will
defeat it only three times.”
Now I’ll be honest, that troubled
me. To be fair, Elisha didn’t tell him
how many times to strike the ground
or what significance it might have for
him. And if I put myself in Jehoash’s
shoes, I think maybe he might have
been discouraged and a bit
depressed over Elisha dying and all.
Maybe he didn’t feel much like striking
those arrows any more than he
did. So he struck the ground halfheartedly.
We can all relate to that, I think.
When we’re down or discouraged
about the way things are going in
our lives, we don’t always feel enthusiastic,
about life, even about the
things we care about, like our bikes
and CMA.
Strangely enough, this story got
me thinking about my first Harley. It
was a 1970 HD 900 XLCH Sportster.
That was a beautiful candy blue,
but it was one frustratingly cantankerous
bike. I used to joke that if I
wanted to spend any time riding on
the weekend I would have to invest
time during the week fixing and
replacing the parts that fell off last
weekend.
I sure loved that bike and it got us
started into motorcycling again
(After the usual hiatus to raise kids
and investing in things like furniture).
I have remembered it fondly, except
when my knee was giving me fits.
That bike was at least partly
responsible for the knee replacement
I had last fall. Getting that bike started
took some real stamina. If I wanted
to ride, I had better mean it. I had
to put my whole heart, and my full
weight, into kick starting it…again
and again and again until she fired
up. There was nothing half-hearted
about what it took to start that bike,
especially when it was cold.
That’s just what it took to get her
going. If I really wanted to go for a
ride I had to give it all I had or I
wasn’t going anywhere.
Now you may be wondering what
this has to do with chapter health.
I’m glad you asked.
Like King Jehoash, the lesson here
is that half-hearted commitment will
not get us where we want to go.
Half-hearted faith just won’t cut it
either. How much faith do you have
in the importance of keeping your
chapter healthy and thriving? Even
though we might have valid reasons
to feel discouraged, God would have
us get in there and give it our best
shot.
If we want healthy exciting chapters,
we need to give it more than
half-hearted attention. Just like that
bike needed everything I had to get
her going, so does your chapter. We
might be a little bit discouraged
these days, for lots of reasons, but
motorcycle ministry is where God
has called us. CMA is our support
structure and our chapters help us to
do what God has called us to do.
Don’t let a half-hearted attempt
at supporting your chapter keep you
from having the kind of chapter you
would like to have. It takes more
than that. How about you put your
full weight into it and see what God
can do with that kind of commitment,
confidence, enthusiasm, and
faith. CMA
Tom and Kathie Palazzolo oversee
the West Region as
National Evangelist.
09⎪JUNE 2020⎪www.cmausa.org