Embrace the Wind

For the past number of years I have been cycling. It started as a way to lose weight that my doctor said I needed to lose but wouldn't lose ( he tried a little "reverse psychology" and it worked). Then it became a way of life to keep the weight off. After riding some 4,000+ miles or so I stopped riding. I lost interest and become lazy.

Well, this year has begun a resurgence of intentionality towards riding. I have a new willingness to put on the gear, air up the tires and ride. The major problem I most often face riding in Kansas is not so much the hills (yes there are hills in Kansas) but the wind. Because of the rich farmland we enjoy in Kansas, there is a noticeable lack of trees to block the wind. A beautiful, sunny day of 83 degrees with a 21 mph wind is great for sailboats and wind surfers but not so much for cyclist.

With the windy conditions we have in Kansas you have to embrace the wind. If you wait for a calm day to ride you might ride 5 times a year. So, I am learning to embrace the wind. It is hard to ride against it. You have a sense that you are going nowhere slow. The sound of the rushing wind and the 9 mph on your speedometer can really cause to wonder why, why are you out here riding.

You struggle and struggle to make your way against the wind and you finally arrive at the turn around spot. It is then that you remember why you fight the wind, why you put up with legs that burn. It's because you have a tail wind all the way back. At one point a turtle could beat you and the next you are flying. But in order to fly with the wind you must first fight it. It is the struggle that makes you strong. It is the perseverance that rewards you with an almost effortless ride home.

There is a spiritual lesson to for us to learn. I call it "Embrace the Flame (trial)". Much like riding against the wind, life is sometimes a challenge; finances, health, relationships, etc. all seem to battle against us and make the ride difficult. We don't always understand why the trials come but James calls us to "count it all joy when you face various trials" (my paraphrase of James 1:2) So, it is in the midst of the trial that "faith is tested" so "that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:3-4 NIV) If we wish the trial away or we do not facing it, we lose the benefit of it. The benefit of the trial, if we count it joy, is perseverance or the result of genuine faith, maturity and completeness.

When we don't give up, when we become mature and complete there is reward. A life well lived and a eternal home with Jesus. No matter how strong the wind or the trial, keep pedaling and count it all joy. The turn around point is just ahead.