Braxton Cox's Blog
The Bike Ride / 07.27.09, 03:34 PM
I was coming home this afternoon and ran into C.J. He is a typical nine-year-old boy, full of questions and rough on his bike. I have lost track of the number of times I’ve helped him fix his bike this year. Today he was pushing his bike and carrying his broken chain. We walked down to the apartment, got some tools, and got him back on the road. While we were working his sister, Bria came out to talk and when we were done working she suggested a bike ride.
When I was a kid, my family used to go for bike rides for fun, but this year my bike has become a tool to get me from point A to point B in a timely fashion. Today was different. We had no destination, no time restraint, no worries. It was just a bike ride, an adventure, for fun. We started out racing around an empty parking lot, three wide in the turns. Next, we tackled the “big hills” in the park, getting enough speed down one to make it up the other and then coasting down it with feet in the air, peddles whirring around in frantic circles. The swings were a mandatory stop, to see who could get the highest, before we headed down the street. Weaving from sidewalk to sidewalk, greeting everyone we met. As we rode by the barber, C.J. thought of the possibility of free pralines, but it didn’t pan out. The whole journey reminded me of one of those “family circus” comic strips where the little boy wanders all over the neighborhood just to end up next door.
It was so much fun. We laughed a lot, but didn’t talk about anything really important. We just enjoyed being together, being outside, and not having anything to worry about. All too often I get wrapped up in things that need to be done and I forget to be a child and enjoy life. Some days I would have just fixed the bike and turned down the invitation for the ride because of something “more important,” because that’s what a responsible adult should do. Jesus was indignant when he saw his disciples rebuking the people who were bringing children to have them touched by Jesus and he told them “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Then the best part, he hugged the kids. He wrapped them in his arms, touched them and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16) Imagine a hug from Jesus.
I hope I never forget how to be a child. When I was little I didn’t worry about what I was going to eat, or what I was going to wear tomorrow, or how my bill was going to get paid, or how I was going to get to my next destination. I had parents who took care of all of that for me; I was just along for the ride. I still have a Father that has never let me down, yet I often forget to trust in him and have faith that he will take care of me. Our Father will always take care of His children, we just need to get on our bikes and ride. Maybe we’ll end up at the swings, or a hill that we can coast down with our feet in the air, or maybe there’ll be a free praline along the way, who knows. I do know we have a Father who loves us and will never let us down.
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that was good, man. thanks for the encouragement.
By Joe Grove / Jul 29, 09:22 PM / #