KEEP PEDALING
I
used
to think of
God as my observer and my judge Who kept track of everything I
did wrong and it was written in the Book of Life. Only He knew
if I would merit heaven or hell. I really didn't know Him well
until I met His Son, Jesus Christ. Later on it seemed as though
life was rather like my tandem bike with two sets of pedals,
with me in front pedaling and Jesus pedaling behind.
I don't know just when it was that He gently suggested we trade places, with me giving Him the lead. At first I was skeptical as I wanted to do things my own way. But since the day I changed places with Him, my life has not been the same. When I had control and thought I knew the way, I noticed that the roads I took seemed filled with dead ends and no matter where I turned, the road remained full of thickets and sharp branches that I could not easily pass through. HE took the lead from me and showed me delightful long cuts, up mountains and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on! Part of me was frightened and yet my faith in Him slowly grew even though what He did looked like madness. And yes, many frightening times I did cover my eyes in fear. I could hear Him turn to look back at me, and He said ever so quietly, "Keep pedaling!" I was worried and anxious and I asked, "Where are you taking me?" My Lord smiled and didn't answer, and for some reason, my trust in Him still continued to build. There was something about His manner of assurance that touched me. And when I said, "I'm scared," He leaned back and smiled. He took me to people who gave me gifts that He said I should have; gifts of healing, gifts of hope, acceptance, and joy. These people also gave me other gifts to take on our journey. And so, we were off again on an endless ride but this time it seemed we were headed toward some very special place. He said to me, "Give the gifts away; they're extra baggage, too much weight." So I gave them all away to the people we met as we bicycled, and I found that in giving I received, and our burden became light. I knew He was quietly controlling my life. He took me to localities I had never seen before. He pedaled faster and faster and I tried to keep up as I held on tighter. I thought He would wreck my bike with all his fast maneuvers, but He knew that bicycle well. He knew how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knew how to jump over high rocks, and how to make it fly to shorten scary passages. I learned to pedal behind Him to the strangest places with excitement. For some reason I felt safe in His hands and I was beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful and constant companion, Jesus Christ, Who continued to carry me through many unusually beautiful areas. Just when I was positive I could not continue and could not follow any further, He nodded, squeezed my hand and said softly, "I am with you always. (Matthew 28:20) Don't be afraid. Just keep on pedaling." This is how it is when we are on the journey to our eternal home. Halfway down the road some of us may grow discouraged, uncertain, plagued with fear and worries. Sometimes an insurmountable curve in the road is not always easy to overcome and the summit we want to reach grows dim. We tremble at the twists and the turns that the world gives us. We get frightened and disheartened along those dark paths when things do not turn out the way we had hoped they would. I have learned that I cannot fix the problems life thrusts at me by myself, and this is when I have to lean on the handlebars of suffering and let Jesus take the lead. I must totally relinquish my hold on my burdens and let Him pedal through my pain. With compassion and love He will take the handlebars and the pedals of life, asking only that I follow Him. He will take me through the ups and downs of this world and through the good and the bad times that come to us all. No road will be too crooked or too filled with obstacles for Him to pass through and I sit in awe when He makes a way out of no way that I can see or understand. I know I can count on Him for He told me, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you!" - Hebrews 13:5 And so many times we grow weak and just want to give up, but we who have faith, belief and trust in the Lord will see His gentle smile, His unending mercy, and the love in His eyes as He kindly whispers, "Keep pedaling!"
The idea for
this article came from an unknown hand
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