Oh, those pesky numbers.
Becky often accuses me of thinking like a “math guy.” I believe I’m more right-brain than she thinks, though I do tend to be attracted by numbers and data-driven logic. But if we’re not careful, we can be trapped by the lure of “easy” data.
Albert Einstein, the ultimate math guy, once wrote on a blackboard: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”
HOW MANY RIDERS? Easy to count. We might simply try to find riders, regardless of commitment to training, the team, or the cause. Just get people to sign up and pay the fee.
HOW FAST? Easy to count. Just seek only fast, experienced cyclists, those who can keep a high pace. The best rider would be the fastest, or the best climber.
HOW MUCH MONEY? Easy to count. It’s tempting to count and focus on dollars as a yardstick of success. The best rider would be the person who raised the most money. Don’t like fundraising? Don’t bother applying.
The problem, to extend Einstein’s word play, is:
The things we count end up being the things that count.
On the FREEDOM TOUR we keep track of a lot of numbers. We keep track of how many riders, how fast we travel, how much food we eat, and, of course, how many dollars we contribute to the kids at the HOME OF HOPE. Those numbers matter. We’d be irresponsible if we didn’t track them.
But the data, and the things it measures, aren’t what counts.
I’m interested in friendships formed and lives changed. I care about deep, meaningful conversations, unplanned interactions with people along the road, and moments of joy. I love the notion of a team of servant leaders committed to shared sacrifice around a common purpose. I hope for encounters with God that might only happen on a long stretch of Colorado blacktop.
Tough to count, but they’re the things that count.
I tend to seek the quick fix, the short-term solution. I need to see immediate results. I want injustice resolved now.
God is about the long term. We need to resist the temptation to measure success by short-term numbers that are easy to count but don’t measure what really counts.
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FREEDOM TOUR registration deadline is approaching (April 25). I hope you’ll join us!
Join us June 17-26 on a 500-mile tour from Cheyenne to Raton Pass.
FREEDOM TOUR PROLOGUE (Saturday, June 11). 30 and 60-mile routes beginning and ending at Timberline Church.
ELEPHANT ROCK (Sunday, June 5). RIDE THE ROCK with Ridgeline Community Church and Freedom Tour.
MAKE A DONATION. Click the chain ring and bring HOPE and FREEDOM to the children at the HOME OF HOPE.
$100 pays for one week of all-inclusive holistic care for one child (food, shelter, school, Christian aftercare).
100% of your donations go directly to the HOME OF HOPE. All of our FREEDOM TOUR expenses, including jerseys, are paid by generous community sponsors.
