Bike

A year or so ago my daughter Jamie and her husband Blake moved into a new house (for them). Mel and I thought it would be fun to give Blake, (age 3) a two wheeler with training wheels on it so he could cruise around the neighborhood. Well he has cruised all right...he has cruised those training wheels right on off...and the rubber remnants were still lingering as of last week....so his dad convinced him that he was ready to get rid of the trainer gear....and they disassembled it together.... and Blake is now riding his bike like crazy (a couple of falls but only one scraped knee in the process). He's got it down!

Yesterday we did the same for William (my daughter Jennifer and Jon's son) who is three and they just moved into another house that happens to be around the corner from me. And as I am writing this story...who walks through my back door but William...he has proudly ridden his tiny two wheeler bike all the way to my house while sister Catherine was pushed on a trike by mom. Oh I was proud...just as I am of any of their accomplishments....but seeing that little helmet on his head and that smile on his face filled with success...I was And I told him one day he too would be able to ride like his cousin Blake...without training wheels but he has to practice. For now he is quite content to just be on a big bike.....trying our a new sport of adventure.

Do you remember the days when you started riding bikes? I am not sure exactly when I did but surely we were somewhere around this same age? We started slow and then gained momentum and confidence but only through the actual practice of riding it not just talking about it....and thinking about it. If there were training wheels, then we had a little crutched independence but we still needed someone to tell us what to do when a car was coming or how to navigate turns, etc. But we had to have a teacher..someone we could trust and depend on and count on to help us stay steady and balanced.

Don't you think life in all its variables is somewhat paralleled to bike riding. We have opportunities to ride through life God's way....but we have to embrace those opportunities with:

1) an open mind knowing God allows opportunites (sometimes disguised as trials) to help us grow up and establish new ways to overcome challenges
2) be willing to seek His instruction,
3) be willing to try to act out and experience life's ride God's way
4) be willing to jump on board with a renewed sence of confidence.... knowing that God is right there beside us encouraging us to stay balanced...to look forward, and keep on pedaling..

We do start with trainers...earthly teachers (parents, friends, pastors, even our children) who teach us how to navigate turns, and what to do when somethgin that seems powerful comes barreling down the road of our lives....and we learn as we go...and work with what we have and soon after we have experienced our many trials and opportunities we are able to let loose of our earthly trainers and put our confidence in our heavenly ones. For our earthly trainers have given us what we ultimately need for success and that is the focus that we must set our minds and hearts on....it is Jesus Christ. He stands beside us to guide us and
give us a security that no matter what raod we ride or are riding on in this life...he is there.

We begin slow but as we allow Jesus to come along side of us...he gives us a momentum and a strength and a confidence that ensures us success on the turns and makes way for us to travel on crowded streets...

The boys started out with small two wheelers with training wheels....and as they grow so do their many experiences and accomplishments. There will be skinned knees, and bruised egos along the way...but those are valant reminders of a time when we they were learning new skills...those scrapes will be a part of their story just as our scrapes and bruises are part of ours. We are going to fall off of the bike when we are traveling on the road of life...We are sure to hit some big bumps, or potholes, or have to swerve to get out of someone else's way ..that get us completely off balance......but when that happens we have to get back on.....and not let fear of falling agin keep us from going forward. For it is when we get back on that we are forging forward in progress...Jesus' way...balanced with His truth and our faithfulness. I now have advanced to riding a bike with gears.... and am able to change them, according to what I see coming on the road ahead. May I seek God's help on my ride of life...and be able to change gears appropriately when the bumps come and and the sidewalk cracks are too big to jump, and the distractions seem to pile up and get me off balance.

Training wheels....they are a good thing for a while but the times comes when we we have to be brave enough to trust what we have learned and try to ride in the truth that we have been taught and the faith that we have gathered.

Dear Lord, Thank you for riding beside us as we travel through this life. Please help us to stay balanced, stay focused and be assured that thought we may fall here and there you are right there to brush us off, nurture our wounds, and help us get back on and keep riding. Amen


Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!