No Crash is too Big

Riding a bike appears quite difficult to one who never touch a pedal in their life.  Sitting on the seat may seem a little awkward in the beginning.  Pushing with one foot at a time to move the tires requires some coordination and thought.  Your eyes must focus on the path traveled to know when to turn the handle bars and avoid rough terrain or grassy areas.  The training wheels allow stability so all other aspects of riding may be learned. 

Okay, so now you sit upon the seat with comfort, pedal gracefully and keep your eyes focused; but the training wheels still remain.  Your confidence builds in the skills already learned and soon you do not even think about going through all the motions.  You are a natural.

Now the training wheels must come off.  Whoa!  You did not sign up for such a difficult task.  Suddenly, all the confidence vanishes and the thought of losing stability from the two little wheels on each side frightens you to no end.  Someone holds onto the seat as you begin to pedal and hold tightly to the handle bars.  At some point, they will let you go on your own.  As you focus on the difficulty and fear of being without support, you forget all that you learned.  They let go and you crash.  See, you knew this would happen.  You already set your mind to the idea that no chance existed for you survive without support from training wheels.  Do you give up?  Do you get back up and try again?

Well, throughout your bicycle riding history, you will wreck many times.  The first crash seems the worst.  Giving up is not the answer.  Every time feet touch pedal, risk for a crash exists.  With each experience riding, you gain knowledge on how to handle the tough terrain and how to remain upright on the path laid before you.  Without taking the chance, you deprive yourself of wisdom, maturity and joy.  A bike will get you to the intended destination with ease should you keep focused, ride with confidence, have faith in your abilities and remember all learned through past experiences.

Wrecks do not only happen while learning to ride a bike; they happen down the road to the most experienced riders.  Anyone can lose balance and fall.  I did so just a few years ago while riding with my husband.  I lost balance, hit the curb and fell to one side (don't laugh!).  I looked to see if anyone saw me.  My husband did.  He made sure I was okay, helped me get back up and waited for me to continue on the path.  I learned not to travel too close to the curb for the rest of the journey. 

No matter the level of maturity or experience lived as a Christian; with each step taken a risk for a crash exists.  Some days the risk skyrockets and you must be careful with each step taken.  Then, other days have minimal risk with a smooth path.  Either way, if a wreck occurs, God is there to pick you up, dust you off, heal the hurt and wait for you to continue on.

When first becoming a Christian, God carried me through every moment.  Each morning, I could not even step once without His hands guiding my every move and holding me upright.  The shift in lifestyles felt awkward, the coordination needed to step boldly for God did not exist yet, my eyes remained a bit foggy not sure of the next step and my thoughts knew not where to turn.  Slowly, I gained the tools and skills needed to walk a God-confident life.  I saw what path He intended me to travel.  He then began traveling beside me, hand in hand.  Life continued pretty smoothly.

Now, the path gets a bit smaller and difficult situations arise.  Whoa!  I did not sign up for these trials and troubles.  My faith begins to shake and confidence pushes aside.  I forget in an instant all the tool and skills learned because I focus on the difficult position I face and fear consumes my thoughts.  I already had my mind set on the idea that no chance of survival existed.  I press on and sure enough lose balance and crash.  Should I turn around, give up and keep this a secret? 

NO.  Don't allow the enemy to tell you that you failed and giving up is the only option.  Get back up, reach up to your Father for balance and continue down the path.  Learn from each crash and next time another difficulty arises; you will know exactly what to do to avoid a crash.  No crash is too big for your Father to handle.  He already won the battle.  Turn to Him.  Any injury can be healed.  Even if you traveled so far off the path that you cannot see it anymore; He will bring you back.  Don't give up when things seem to difficult.  Reach for the One who will provide the strength to persevere.  Without taking that bold step for Him; we deprive ourselves of the joy, wisdom and maturity He planned for us.

No matter how beat up you feel due to a crash in life; He will take you in His arms and heal.  He will bring you upright and build confidence back into your life with His Truths.  Don't keep your crash secret; the enemy loves things kept in secret.  It gives him the power to consume your thoughts with lies.  Trust in God and He will straighten your path.  Lean on Him for guidance and seek out Godly individuals to feed you with Truth.

Read Isaiah 54:4-5.

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for picking me back up through the crashes I encounter.  Dust me off and set my feet back on the path laid for my life.  Help me take each crash experienced and use it to minister to others.  Teach me so I may teach others.  Shine Your light to others through me.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig