Bicycle Faith

I went mountain biking yesterday. I hadn't really ever been mountain biking. I had ridden down roads, streets, and even through vineyards, but never over a rocky, dusty trail. Sunday, I bravely embraced this new adventure. You see, I have a fear of speed and falling. Often, the first leads to the latter. So I knew that what I was about to embark on would require a little courage on my part.

Sure enough, when I came to the first dip--a short, steep decline down one side and a short, steep incline on the other--I came to a stop. I had to comtemplate whether this obstacle could be overcome and at what cost. I called out to Paul and said, "Okay. How do I do this? Any tricks?" His reply was simple. "Nope. Ride down without hitting the breaks so you have enough momentum to finish the hill." I took a deep breath. Exhale. I took another deep breath. "Are you sure I can do this?" I asked. "Yes!" Paul replied. "You can do this!" I stared at the dip and knew in my mind that this wasn't a big obstacle. My heart however, screamed, "Ahhhhhh!" I took another deep, lung bursting breath and shouted in my mind, "Just do it!" I pedaled quickly, steered straight, and rolled from one side to the other faster than my breath could exhale. "I did it!" I proudly proclaimed as I pedaled past Paul.

The rest of the journey I vanqueshed rocks, a river, and a couple more hills. The return trip required a different kind of bravery as I learned how to speed over rocky paths as we pedaled downhill. The concept of allowing my bike to pick up speed as I faced small stones and rocks was foreign to me. It goes against my every fiber as I naturally try to slow my life down when I accelerate in life.

When we arrived back at the car, my shoes soaking wet, dirt smeared across my calves, and a triumphant smile on my face, I realized that my mountain biking experience mirrors our experience with faith. As I faced each new challenge in my path, my inner mantra was similar. "Okay. I know I can do this," my mind calmly stated. "Are you sure?" my heart questioned. "Sure. All you have to do is pedal, steer straight, shift your weight properly, and you'll be fine," my mind replied. "Are you really, really sure?" my heart asked again. "You have all the skills. Now all you have to do is trust them and your bike and you'll make it," my mind said reassuringly. And she was right. When I trusted my abilities, I was successful. It was when I allowed my fear to creep in that I slowed down too much or swerved too far and was forced to stop.

To succeed, I needed faith--that my skills were sound and my bike sure. In the end, in order to move forward, it came down to faith. In life, it is the same. God asks us to have faith in both Him and the work He is doing in each of us. When choices in life or difficult things occur, we can either trust that the abilities and materials we are blessed with will see us through or not. The difference is that when we lose faith, that is most often when we fall.