Keep Pedaling

I woke yesterday on one of those rare Saturdays when had no obligations.  The one thing I wanted to accomplish was ride my bike. Early afternoon I put on my cycling shorts, a bright colored shirt, and my shoes. I filled my water bottle and then donned my gloves, helmet and glasses.

I set a goal of riding ten miles. A little over a mile into the ride I realized that the first half of that ride would be riding directly into a headwind and riding uphill. Four miles into the ride I began a slow ascent straight into strongest winds of the day. The pace slowed. I gripped the lower handlebars and put my head down gutting out one revolution of the pedals after another.

I flashebacked to my 100 mile ride in west Texas back in 2012. When things got tough I kept telling myself that day to keep pedaling. I related that phrase in my mind over and over again yesterday. Keep pedaling. Keep pedaling.

One thing I have learned in my years of cycling is you do not want to quit pedaling while you are riding uphill and into the wind. If you ever come to a complete stop is extremely difficult to get momentum going again.

Now apply that to your situation. Some of you are riding uphill and into a headwind in life. You face challenges. There is the temptation to quit. There is the temptation to throw in the towel and take the path of least resistance. Yet God has you on a steep path into a headwind. The goal is in sight but the path to get there is excruciatingly painful and challenging.

Keep pedaling. To the student facing the end of the year exams and projects keep pedaling. To the worker laboring on the same job for years on end keep pedaling. To the mother cooking, cleaning, and awaking to do it all over again keep pedaling. To the one facing physical ailments keep pedaling. To the one fatigued from giving care to loved ones keep pedaling. To the one carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders keep pedaling. To the weary prayer warrior keep pedaling.

I don't know how many times I told myself to keep pedaling yesterday. I bowed my head and pushed and pulled those pedals looking at the ground right in front of me. When I looked up again I was only thirty yards from the turn around point. I stopped and took a long sip of water. I caught my wind.