Balancing Act

Balancing Act - Ten years ago and just yesterday I had the same sort of conversation with two of my children regarding balance and riding a two-wheeler while my mind was fully engaged with the upcoming sermon text.  (It is funny [and eerie] how normal conversations mix with Bible passages in my brain each week.  Object lessons are everywhere when Scripture is cooking in the back of the brain.)

Imagine the scene: We took off the training wheels, went to the blacktop at the school, strapped on the helmet, the knee and elbow pads, and looked at 200 feet of asphalt that spread out before us.

“I can’t do this. I am going to fall.”

“You can do this. You’ve learned everything you need to know. Yes, you still might fall, but I will be right here with you,” I reassured.

“How do I stay up?”

“You stay up by moving forward.” I coached.

“How do I move forward?”

“You move forward by staying up. Keep your balance and keep pedaling.” I answered.

“What if I start to fall?”

“Just relax and keep pedaling straight ahead. Don’t look at your feet, or your tires, or even me; just look straight ahead at where you want to go,” I explained.  "Where your eyes look is where you will go."

I could see the problem: both of my children, spaced almost ten years apart, have to move forward in order to stay upright, and in order to stay upright they have to move forward.  Have you ever noticed that bicycles are unusual in that sense?  By themselves and stationary, bikes are clumsy—unable to even stand up without help.  But with a confident rider and with steady motion, bikes are sleek, remarkably stable, and precise.  It is amazing, even with the whirr of motion and beads of sweat, bicycling is ironically restful and refreshing.  But not for novices on two-wheelers without the training wheels … not yet at least.  Even though he got the hang of it on a two-wheeler that afternoon ten years ago, and even though she will soon get the hang of it in a matter of days, the conversation is the same.  "Where your eyes look is where you will go."

Our balance on the bicycle applies to our balance on the journey of the heart.  How do we keep our balance?  By moving forward.  How do we move forward?  By keeping our balance.  What if we start to fall?  From a position of rest in Christ, we actively pedal while trusting His power to pedal through us.  We must not focus on the blur of activity all around us; instead we must focus on our goal—which again is Christ.  He is our starting block and our finish line, our path and our strength while on the path.  He is our source, our means, and our goal.