Getting Back On

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. -Heb 10:35-36

My daughter, Lauren, learned to ride a bike this weekend. She’s already quite an athlete so she didn't lack physical coordination but it was a mental challenge. We often bike to breakfast on Saturday mornings, with Lauren dragging a bit behind with training wheels on. But this past Saturday she just didn’t want to do it; it just wasn’t fun anymore. So we talked about the training wheels and she finally agreed that I could take them off if I stayed home with her to teach her to ride when everyone else was gone (so her siblings wouldn’t laugh if she fell).

It took a couple of falls and patient encouragement to get back on but she made it. And since, everyone else was delayed getting to breakfast (the best intentions are often distracted at our home) they were soon outside cheering her on. She kept going for a while and the next day she was back on. As we rode around the neighborhood she commented that it just like riding with training wheels except a lot faster and easier. She’ll be on that bike a lot more now.

It is good for a parent to experience their children learning. We forget that things often seem harder when we think about them instead of just doing them. Seeing Lauren’s joy in the freedom of riding unencumbered by training wheels makes me want to find something to accomplish - something of value to work on. I lose much of that in day-to-day work and expectations. It is easier for me to keep in the same mindset – with the same “training wheels” on – throughout the day. Maybe I think that it keeps me safe or maybe I just haven’t thought about the better way. But there’s a joy in pushing myself into new things that I miss much of the time. I need to remember to get back in and learn in life.