My First Bike Ride (08/26/2025)

I remember my first bike ride. I remember my dad trying very hard to get me going without wobbling or falling. My first effort was made more difficult in that it was on a sand road, but the good news was that when I fell, I didn’t get scrapes. My dad tried so many approaches that day to keep me upright on those two wheels, moving forward. And then he realized what my problem was. I was distracted by all the moving parts. So, he stopped me, told me to just keep my eyes on him, right in front of me. And it worked.

When I quit checking the pedals and the handlebars and when I quit watching the wheels wobble from my uncertain grip and started instead looking at where I was going – riding straight for my dad, my grip grew firmer, my pedaling grew more consistent, my wheels quit wobbling, and I was doing it. I was riding a bike.

I was reminded of this recently when I passed a house with the mother trying to teach her child to ride a bike. I had to smile. It’s harder than it looks at first. I told myself, “She should tell her to just look at her and pedal.” As I thought about my lesson about bike riding, I realized that my dad’s answer was true in so most of my life – staying focus, not being easily distracted or disheartened or discouraged, and trusting.

Truly, life is a lot like learning to ride the bike. We can get so easily distracted by the shiny objects, the moving parts, and the fears of what could happen. We need to learn to focus – and our point of focus should be Jesus Christ. We say we are walking in his footsteps, so we need to keep our eyes on Him.

I could tell a million stories of times when I failed to do that and I fell, or I wobbled, or I gave up. And I can tell you unequivocably that it was always because I took my eyes off of Jesus. He is “the way and the truth and the life.” It is always going to go better for me if I keep my eyes on Christ and allow Him to guide me and grace me.

How about you? Do you find that when you get distracted things don’t work out the way you’d hoped? What do you do to keep your mind and heart and life focused on Christ?

As we continue our journeys of faith, hope and love, let us begin by putting ourselves in Christ’s presence intentionally, promising to focus on Him and His love and listening to Him encouraging us every bit of the way.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.