August 5, 2011

 

It has been a while now that my 3-year-old, my 36 pounder, first-born, Friendo - Sierra Starr – has been trying to ride her bike.  Actually, it has been a very long time.  Her grandparents bought her this cool bike last year with training wheels, sparkles, pink, – the whole nine yards.  However, it is the kind of bike that when you pedal backwards it is the break and she kept trying, for whatever reason, to pedal backwards.  It wasn’t that she couldn’t reach the pedals.  It wasn’t that the bike was too big, because really it is almost made perfectly for her size and height.  But for some reason, she would get on and pedal forwards a few paces and then pedal backwards and completely stop. 

 

She has a small bike that is a “toddler” bike.  It doesn’t have a break.  I think because it is so small it just doesn’t need one.  There is no way she could go really fast because it is so small, but when she would get stuck on a curb or a hill of some kind, she would pedal backwards to get started and then take off.  I think that’s why she now would get on her “big girl bike” and use the break.  Old habits really do die hard!

 

So, she has been very frustrated.  I will take the bike out every now and then and try to get her to ride it, but it always ends up with her stomping off saying “I can’t do it!” and then it goes downhill from there….

 

But, the other night she decided she wanted to try the bike again.  So, Steve came out to check on us in the front yard and decided to get the bike out for her.  She gets on one time and off she goes!  No break, no tantrum, no yelling.  She just takes off like a pro at riding a pink, sparkle, made for her size with training wheels bike.  I was shocked.  I think she was too.  hahaha 

 

Here’s the lesson I think I’m learning:  All the times we are moving on in life and we are in a place where God is taking us some place new, we sometimes put the break on where we are going simply because we keep up with old habits.  We try to live our lives how we “use to” live them.  We do the same things over and over and expect to keep moving forward.  But all along, God is trying to teach us something new.  We get frustrated and stomp off “I can’t do it!” but all along God is right there waiting to show us how.  He is so patient too.  He lets us stomp off and throw our tantrum, knowing that curiosity will get the best of us and our stubbornness will bring us back to keep trying over and over again. 

 

Eventually, we catch on.  We can’t keep living our lives the same way over and over if we want to grow.  We have to change.  God wants us to be greater and do greater, but in order to be or do we have to learn and move on.  God never gives up on us.  In fact, He stands next to us every time we stomp off in frustrations of life.  I think He is how I am with Sierra.  He stands off and watches us throw our tantrum and go back to what is comfortable (our “toddler” bike).  As He watches, He knows that someday we will understand how to do what He is calling us to do.  There will be a day that we just “get it” and that which we have tried to attain, that which we have worked to learn will become easy!

 

Philippians 3:12-14 says, “I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made.  But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me.  Friends, don’t get me wrong:  By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus.  I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.”