Life is like riding a bike...

Life is like riding a bicycle. 

To keep your balance, 

you must keep moving. 

- Albert Einstein 

Balance is something that most people struggle with on a daily basis.  Balance can be easily found in many areas of our lives.  It can be found in your check book, diet, and even your Christian walk.  Balance can also be easily lost.  A receipt can be misplaced, a diet can be forgotten, and we can stray from our Christian walk.

Today was my first attempt in many a years to ride a bicycle.  The Lord gave me this bike through my friend Sergey.  I figure God had a few lessons in mind for me in my bicycle riding experience.  With this thought, I felt it was best for me to practice riding alone.  I brought it home yesterday and tried a little.  It was a hilarious site.  Half an hour later, I decided that because of time restraints I would pray over the night and spend more time on it today.

This morning, I set up the bike close to the garage with the kick stand holding it upright.  With one hand on the handle bar and the other on the seat, I stood quietly and bowed my head in prayer.  The prayer sounded a little like this...

I'm going to need courage God.  I'll probably need a sense of humor.  I might need some band aids.  More than anything, I'm going to need you to jog beside me with one hand hear on my right hand directing my path and the other on the seat holding me up. 

 I think God is just like an earthly father when He has the opportunity to teach His children a thing or two even when they are in their late twenties. My attempts at riding reminded me of when my earthly father taught me to ride a bike a couple of decades a go.  My earthly father is over a thousand miles away but my Heavenly Father is always by my side.  

My experience with this bicycle riding business has been exactly what Mr. Einstein said.  After many attempts, I finally learned that I just had to go.  I cleared my mind of thoughts and just went.  The spotlight on the battle of courage and doubt had to be blacked from the stage of my mind so that I could focus on Who was there to hold me up.  

Once my confidence was nearly at a comfortable level, I began to make ovals in the driveway.  I'm sure I looked silly as I wobbled from side to side to keep the balance that would come and go.  The curves are a balancing act all on their own.  The trick is finding a happy median between two extremes. A balance must be established of confidence with caution; pedaling with gliding; and steering with driving.

As I type this post, my hand are raw and tired from the death grip I had on the handle bars during my practice session.  The death grip did nothing to help me learn to ride the bike faster, more confidently, or more skillfully.  So, why do my hands hurt?  The handles were the thing that I could brace myself with during this "out of my comfort zone experience."  The grip did very little to make me feel more confident in the bicycles ability to keep me from harms way.  My death grip on the handle bars of life should be exchanged for a tight hold to my trust in God. 





Lessons are taught everyday.  I will be ready for another riding lesson tomorrow.  By then, my courage will be replenished, my sense of humor will be renewed, and my skinned knee will be healed with the help of a band aid.  I just have to remember what I learned today and apply it to tomorrow.