Along for the Ride
One of the healthier hobbies I picked up in the last couple of years is road cycling. I started out with a decent commuter bike - not built for speed, but designed to get from point A to point B comfortably. My husband has been a cyclist for several years and has upgraded his equipment along the way including everything from the bicycle itself to the shorts, jerseys, gloves, helmet, lights, and a fancy bike computer. It's a Garmin device that tracks all sorts of data for him. Since he is a "data guy," this means a lot to him.
I, on the other hand, was just happy to be joining him for a leisurely ride. But I couldn't keep up with him, and I knew it was frustrating. I was pedaling furiously just to go 11 miles an hour!
I wanted to start attending club rides with him, but as he so kindly pointed out, I would need to be able to ride a minimum of 14 mph. I had a ways to go.
I kept working at it until eventually my husband found a nice used road bike for me. I knew it was a Cannondale. And I knew it was lilac. That's all I cared about. As he unpacked the large box, he commented that this was a very nice bike...perhaps nicer than his. Too bad I wasn't about to let him ride the pretty lilac bicycle.
He ordered pedals and lights. I purchased a kit (riding shorts and jersey) and the fancy shoes that clip onto the pedals. That took some getting used to - as I've written about in other blogs.
One thing he didn't order for me was a bike computer. Which was fine. I didn't see myself riding enough to justify the several-hundred-dollar expense. So I downloaded an app on my phone and we purchased a case and mounting hardware so I could use my phone as my makeshift bike computer. It worked great for me.
Fast-forward two years, and I'm now attending group rides without him, namely the Women On Wheels event in Sarasota. Several ladies from the local bike club load up and drive an hour and a half north to participate in the ride. It's a fun event for all skill levels with 20-, 40- or 60-mile routes. This year, I talked my friend into signing up for the 40-mile route with me. We decided to go up the evening before and share a hotel room so we would be fresh for the 8:15 a.m. start time.
The next morning we drove to the venue and started prepping our bikes by attaching lights and checking tire pressure. We picked up our packets with cool swag and a beautiful new jersey. We also took lots of group photos.
As we were about to head to the start line, I suddenly realized I had forgotten to grab my phone case with the mount for my bike so I could use my phone as my computer. I would have no way to see the route or my speed on this ride!
Road cyclists often ride in a paceline, following one another closely to reduce wind resistance. When you're in front, it's called pulling. In order to pull effectively, you need to know how fast you're going, and more importantly where you're going.
You can't always judge by the group ahead of you. They may be riding a different route than you are. And you can't rely entirely on the road markings that some event volunteer spray-painted on the pavement the day before because sometimes they are in places that don't make sense to the people riding the route, and they're often hard to see.
So I was forced to defer to others to pull the group and I did my best to simply enjoy being 'along for the ride'.
But as I fretted over having no information to guide me, my thoughts immediately went to the spiritual lesson that was playing out before me.
How did I ever navigate life without spending time in the Word daily? Without using the route guidance God provides? Without knowing if I was on track or not?
As I followed the riders ahead of me, I couldn't help but wonder how often we do the same thing in life. We follow the crowd, trusting that someone else knows where they're going. We make decisions based on what feels right, what looks easiest, or what everyone around us seems to be doing. And we don't always stop to consider whether we're even headed in the right direction.
And here's the thing: Even the people with the route right in front of them sometimes get it wrong! I know firsthand because last year we managed to ride a portion of the route backward. We weren't exactly lost. We just weren't going the direction we were supposed to be going!
Good news... I survived the 40-mile route. But God knows I've taken my share of wrong turns over the years! I've struggled up some unnecessary hills, taken a few detours, and occasionally found myself wondering how in the world I'd gotten so far off course. Sometimes I was following someone else's lead. Other times, I was absolutely convinced I knew where I was going. (Spoiler alert: I didn't!)
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts rather than lean on our own understanding. And Psalm 32:8 offers this beautiful promise: God will instruct us and teach us the way we should go.
I've learned that just because I'm moving forward doesn't necessarily mean I'm headed in the right direction. And just because the road is difficult doesn't mean I've taken a wrong turn.
Sometimes the hills are part of the journey...sometimes they're the result of my own stubbornness.
Thankfully, God sees the entire route, including the wrong turns, unexpected detours, and hills I haven't even encountered yet. And even when I've wandered off course, He's never stopped offering His guidance.
I may not always know what's around the next bend, but I know Who does.
And that's Who I want to follow!
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