I’m sure all of our parents used this phrase often when we were growing up.  “It’s like riding a bike!”  (That, and “When I was your age I had to walk ten miles in four feet of snow to get to school.  Each way!”  God bless all the parents out there.)

Well I actually was out riding my bike today and a thought occurred to me.

Actually two thoughts, with the first being how much more I enjoy riding down  hills versus up  them.  But the second, and admittedly far more important, thought that hit me was yet another way in which biking parallels the Christian life, our walk with the Lord.

I usually like to go for at least 5 miles when I ride (go big or go home, right?) but I can’t even go one or two without encountering several hills.  Just like the Christian life!  Trials, testings, temptations (all really the same thing in essence, differing only based on our reaction) go hand-in-hand, are part and parcel with the Christian life.  Indeed, spiritual growth is caused BY the Bible (1 Peter 2:2; John 17:17) and THROUGH trials (James 1:2-4) which is exactly why we should view them as huge POSITIVES and “consider it all joy” when we encounter them.

Thankfully, I’ve successfully learned that lesson spiritually and have come to actually cherish each and every trial which comes my way given that incomparable benefit, but I have to admit that such is very much not the case when it comes to biking, when it comes to the physical realm:  I like going DOWN hills much, much, much better than UP per Thought #1 above, and I don’t expect that to ever change.

Thanks to being well on the way to accomplishing this historic goal of memorizing and reciting the ENTIRE BIBLE, I’ve found that not only do I sin a lot less than before but I don’t even get tempted nearly so often as then.  Maybe that’s simply Psalm 119:11 at work, doing its thing.  Or Colossians 3:16-17 (it’s a lot harder to sin or even be tempted when one is continually “singing” and “thanking” and “doing” things with the Lord’s pleasure and praise and glory and honor in mind and at heart – all of which are the stated result of “letting the word of Christ richly dwell within” us).  Or Ephesians 6:17.  No, ALL THREE!  And others.  But that has been a big blessing because I now find that most of the time my Christian walk is more like riding a bike DOWNHILL, so I shan’t complain.  But neither shall I “think I stand” because 1 Corinthians 10:12 makes clear what would surely happen so I’ll just keep plugging along and putting ALL of my dependence on the Lord and the Bible – His precious message and “user manual for life” which He so graciously “left behind” along with the Holy Spirit when He departed from our physical, human presence and ascended back to Heaven.

So far, so good!

Just something to think about, especially the next time you find yourself or see someone else riding a bike.  Our parents were right!
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