Wind, Gears, Work and Grace

As most of you know about 15 months ago I started riding a bike for exercise and in hopes of dropping some weight and getting in shape. As of today I have ridden some 4,780 miles.

As I was riding this morning the wind was blowing at about 18 mph. If you are a fellow cyclist then you know that riding against the wind is not that fun. However, if you live in the Texas Panhandle then it is a given and a part of the great life that we enjoy around these parts.

This past December I invested, that's the way I justified it to my wife at least, I invested in a recumbent trike. Now for those who might not be familiar with a recumbent, it is a bike or trike (3 wheels) that you lay down on somewhat (think of sitting in a recliner). The recumbent was an early Christmas gift as well as a graduation gift for completing my second Master's. The logic behind getting a recumbent was that it would be more areo-dynamic against the wind. Which to a degree has proven true.

Well, this morning the power was out in the metropolis of White Deer. With the power out that meant the garage door could not be opened. So, I decided to ride the 29"er this morning, and again remember that there was an 18 mph wind this morning. Well, riding South to North was GREAT...but then, riding North to South, well, no so great, especially when encountering hills.

So, I gritted my teeth, took a big breath geared down and rode on. As I was riding this morning something came to mind that is a good comparison in life.
In life we face the wind on many days, for example, difficulties, people who try us, bills going unpaid, job insecurity, family issues and other things. On other days we ride with the wind, things are going great every body is getting along, the job is going good...So, how do we navigate such days?

On the days where things are going good, Thank God that things are good...and on the days that things are not going so good, Thank God for His faithfulness and that He is our shelter against the wind. One of the keys to riding against the wind is proper knowledge of how to use the gears on your bike. When you are riding uphill against the wind go to the "small" gears, when riding with the wind use the "big" gears, it makes all the difference in the world!

So, today what gears are you going to use? If you are having a difficult day, thank God for everything, even the small things, if things are going good, Thank God for how "big" He is in your life.

Let God's Spirit blow in your life today and thank God for the difficulty, for without trials we would not know the wondrous reaches of His grace...
Till Then...Bro. Alan