Were you ever on a bike ride –
almost home, almost completely out of energy, but between you and home is one
last hill to conquer? What do you do? Stop? Continue riding, but look back to
see how far you’ve come? Press on, just one more push of the pedal at a time?
Keep riding with your eyes set on your goal at the top of the hill?
If you are like me, you would
have picked one or both of the last two options. I’ve done both before,
sometimes almost simultaneously. The goal is in sight and is the focus, but it
doesn’t have to be reached all at once. One push of the pedal at a time will
bring us to our goal in due time. To make an analogy to the spiritual realm,
this is how our walk with God should be. We have a goal, and that should be in
sight and be our primary focus. But that goal does not have to be, and in fact
can’t be, reached all at once. All we need to do is take one step at a time.
I don’t think that stopping is an
option for most people on a bike ride. We may stop temporarily to rest and
regain some energy for the hill ahead, but everyone eventually wants to get
home. We don’t plan on spending the night beside the road. In the same way,
stopping in our spiritual journey before we have arrived at our goal should not
be an option for us.
Looking back while continuing to
ride is even more absurd. Looking back is not a normal position to be in while
on a bike and only serves to distract, throw off balance, and waste energy that
could be put into going forward. No, I don’t think you will catch any exhausted
cyclist staring back at where they came from while conquering that last hill.
In the spiritual realm, Jesus addressed this when he said: “No one, after
putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God”
(Luke 9:62).
“Brethren, I do not regard myself
as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind
and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14). Next
time you have a hill to conquer in your spiritual life, think of the bicycle
analogy and PRESS ON!
4 comments:
Beautiful. I'm trying!
Theresa
This is such a fitting analogy Anna. Beautifully written! Sometimes it is really hard to keep going though; but the unspeakably wonderful addition to the equation is that Jesus is always there beside me as I toil up the hill, and He will never judge or condemn me if I don't do everything right! He has only love for me. It's hard for me to remember that sometimes!
~Victoria
Thank you, Theresa! Yes, that's all we need to do--just try. God will take care of the rest!
Thank you for your comment, Victoria! So true. I'm very grateful that Jesus is there for us all of the time!
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