I’m deliberately finding joy for forty days. To start from the beginning click here.
This morning my husband and I set our for a bike ride. A brilliant blue sky hung above us and the first kiss of fall found its way onto our cheeks as we began to zig-zag down the trail.
Biking hasn’t always been easy for me (okay, never). I do enjoy it—especially on flat pavement. But we live in a hilly part of the country and every ride is full of ups and downs (anyone else feel a spiritual analogy coming on?).
My husband is a great biker and my big break through came when he taught me how to use my gears. You see, I had been doing everything in the hardest gear. I was showing off, really. I thought if I could tackle the biggest, baddest hill in that gear then I must be good.
But that’s just silly. And I understood why when I learned you can make it easier to pedal just by a little flick of your fingers. Now my gear fits the terrain…I can adapt, shift, make the most of of where I am at the moment.
And when I flip it into just the right gear and it feels a little bit like flying…I feel JOY.
God has been given me some “gear lessons” in the rest of my life the last few months too. As on my mountain bike, I can be a bit intense. I think, “I’ll just do it all in the hardest gear. That will prove what a good little Christian I am.” Can anyone say “craziness”?
Instead the One Who Loves Me is gently showing me how to shift, adapt, allow seasons of rest with seasons of pushing hard. It has changed everything for me.
And when I flip my heart into just the right gear with Him and it feels a little bit like flying…I feel JOY.
p.s. Something else that brings me joy is a story of redemption—God making beauty of our brokenness. My dear friend and fellow (in)courage writer Sarah Markley is sharing hers this week. Please visit her blog, The Best Days of My Life, and support her as she takes this leap of faith so other women can heal.
Would you like to join me in the Joy challenge? Just share one thing that brings you joy. (If you’re a subscriber remember to go to http://holley.dayspring.com to do so.) I’ll have random giveaways for people who comment or subscribe during the forty days. And you never know when it could be you…
