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“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5  

It was in the middle of a week of record-breaking heat and humidity last July when simply stepping outside felt like walking into an oven that my six-year-old grandson announced to his parents, “I want to learn how to ride my bike with no training wheels!”

So, for the next few brutally hot days, I watched his mom, dad, and even his babysitter take turns running alongside him. They held on as he sat on top of his bike, all of them sweating profusely as they circled our cul-de-sac again and again.

“Keep pedaling!”

“Sit up straight!”

“Keep looking forward!”

These instructions were repeated over and over as the adults tried to keep both my grandson and his bike upright. Meanwhile, he remained completely determined to master this new skill, totally unaware that his idea was generating record-breaking numbers of steps on everyone’s Apple watches!

At first, there was a lot of uncertainty. There were wobbly handlebars, hesitant starts, and moments of panic that caused him to hit the brakes, which never goes particularly well for the person hanging onto the back of the bike! There were also times when he wasn’t quite sure he could keep his balance and would cry out, “Help!” or “Don’t let go!”

He had to learn to trust the bicycle, trust the person holding on to him, trust what he had been taught, and, most of all, keep moving forward even when he wasn’t completely confident.

Isn’t that a lot like our spiritual journey with God?

When we first begin learning to trust the Lord, we can feel a little unsteady ourselves. We don’t always know what is ahead. Sometimes we’re afraid we might fall. Sometimes we panic and stop because the road ahead looks difficult.

But God reminds us, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

As I watched my grandson practice riding his bike each night, I was amazed at how quickly he eventually learned to ride on his own. What once seemed impossible became something he could do. Each time he tried again, his balance improved. Each little fall became a lesson, including the time he took his hand off the handlebars to scratch his nose and ended up eye-to-eye with the pavement!

Every day of practice gave him a little more confidence. Eventually, he was steady enough to go on a little bike ride around the cul-de-sac with my husband. This time, he wasn’t the one who needed encouragement. He was the encourager!

“You’re doing it, Papa! Good job keeping your bike straight!”

Isn’t that how God works in us, too? We may stumble. We may fall. We may feel unsure of ourselves, but God is always right beside us, reminding us, “Keep going. I’ve got you.”

This Friday night, our entire school family is invited to come and experience a whole different level of bike riding as St. Matthew Lutheran School hosts an amazing “BMX BIKE SHOW!”

We hope that all of you can come to watch skilled bike riders demonstrate incredible balance, speed, jumps, and courage. They will fly through the air and perform things that may leave us wondering, “How in the world did they learn to do that?”

The amazing thing is that, just like Max, every one of these riders had to start with the basics. They had to learn, practice, fall, get back up, and try again. I’m sure there have been plenty of bumps, bruises, and falls along the way!

Maybe that’s a good reminder for all of us. Whether we’re learning to ride a bike or learning to trust God, we don’t have to have it all figured out at the beginning. We just have to keep moving forward.

The more we know, the more we grow!

We would love for you to join us for this special night of fellowship and entertainment. The evening will begin at 5:15 p.m. with a hot dog dinner, followed by the BMX Bike Show at 6:00 p.m.

To help us prepare enough food for everyone, please RSVP at the link in the School Newsletter by 7:00 p.m. today.

We hope to see you there!

Mrs. Palka