Training Wheels

On my way home from work today I saw a girl riding her bike with training wheels. I thought sometimes I wish my bike still had training wheels. There was very little risk involved in going out to ride her bike. There was very little mental energy involved beyond staying on the sidewalk and not going too far. Of course with that same eases comes a limit to her speed on both the straightaway or on the turn. It also means she's not growing up. "Big girls," don't ride bikes with training wheels....well the reality of it is that sometimes I don't want to be a big girl. Sometimes I want to be 5 again. But then I remember when I learned how to ride my bike without training wheels and even though it was scary and frustrating and I fell a few times, it was really fun. Actually, it's one of my favorite memories with my dad. I think we'd started learning on Saturday but didn't get there all the way. So we stayed home from church and while my mom and sister were off getting holy, dad and I were home learning how to ride a bike. I still remember the anticipation and intensity leading up to mom getting home. I was so worried that I wouldn't have it down by the time she got home and I desperately wanted to wow her....dang, some things don't change. But regardless, that was the last day of training wheels.

Learning how to ride my bike without training wheels was obviously the right choice and I obviously wouldn't go back to riding without them, especially since you couldn't go down hills at 29 mph on a bike with training wheels which is really fun! I guess the point is just the reminder of having to give up something to get what's better. We ultimately have to give up something like security or comfort or the way we used to think about something/someone(and I'm sure there are many other more eloquent synonyms to connotate what I'm trying to but I'm finished with eloquent for today and actually prefer run on sentences right now..back to the point) to move on to what is better or more fun or mature or however you want to think of it. And in addition to that is the deeper rooting of giving up to be found in Christ (Matthew 10:39)...

Not revolutionary, I know, but a good truth to sit in for a bit as I live in the millions of ways to frame risk and roots and community and coming into and being sent out or being antsy or too content...you know, those tensions of life and just simply life.