Once you get to be my age which is nearly old enough to enjoy a senior discount at the movies, there are few things in life that make me feel like a kid again. Last week I bought myself a new bicycle, not because I was hoping it would make me feel young again, but because I live near a great bike trail and thought bike riding would be a great way to burn some calories.
On my maiden voyage with my pretty pink Schwinn Cruiser with the white sidewall tires I found myself transported in time to when I got my first bike as a six-year-old. And just for a little while with my hair blowing in the breeze and legs pumping for all I was worth — I felt a kid again.
It was liberating to lean into the wind and feel as if I was flying. I let my thoughts wander and imagined those long ago summers when I raced down Deadman’s Curve (didn’t every small town have one of those?) sans helmet soaring at speeds that defied common sense. The playing cards clothes-pinned to the spokes of my wheels thwacked with a rhythm all their own adding to the magic making me feel invincible.
Now however at my age, I wash down common sense with my daily fiber tablets so it was a no-brainer for me to avoid the part of the trail with the long sloping hill. I must admit though, I was tempted to throw caution to the wind and fly until I realized I most likely lacked the leg power needed to ride back up the hill again. Not to mention the fear of falling off a bike at my age would most likely result in more than just a bruised ego.
Bike riding has given me a lightness in my spirit I haven’t felt in a while. I can actually feel my Heavenly Father smiling down on me as I let the shackles of adulthood fall by the wayside with each mile I pedal. I take life far too seriously sometimes and get caught up in worry, even though I know I’m supposed to trust God for all my needs. Worry just seems to come more naturally.
Too often the world has a way of making life seem overwhelming. Dealing with the day-to-day responsibilities like child-rearing, living paycheck-to-paycheck, dealing with aged parents, the sinking economy and rising unemployment, blah, blah, blah – we forget that God says it’s okay to have faith like that of a little child.
Some days we just need to pedal faster, smile bigger and simply trust deeper. Yes we all need common sense (and a good helmet), but ultimately — God is always in control so why worry.
16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Luke 18:16-17 (NLT)
Blessings in Christ,
Kathy Kurlin
www.kathleenkurlin.com
Oh, Kathy, I had to smile as I pictured you carelessly riding your bike like a child. What a wonderful picture of faith and trust in our loving Father!
Kathy, as I read your blog, I felt as though I was sitting on the handlebars of that new pink bike you bought a couple of months ago… you pedaling and the wind fluffing-up the tips of my hair. Then in that wonderful writing style that I’ve come to recognize as KK, you pedaled me as smooth can be into a refreshing truth about my life in God ….Oh, hey, did you see the little quail run across the trail?