New Frontiers

My youngest has entered the ranks of those who can, as he says “ride a two wheeler”. Trying to keep up with three older sisters and an older brother can be tough. Being able to ride a bike (sans training wheels) is a huge step in the never ending race to keep up. The best part for me was how he finally started riding. Fortunately I was home to see it happen. It was his older brother who facilitated this giant leap. In my observation kids are essentially born with the necessary skills to ride a bike. The hurdle is building up enough courage to overcome the fear of crashing. My oldest son took three essential steps to get his brother to overcome his fears. Step one: don’t push. Pressure in the learning to ride a bike game only increases the fear. In my own youth I witnessed an extreme circumstance where pressure from peers pushed a new rider past the fear barrier. But pressure causes damage and I know for a fact that years later that bike riding was a source of bad memories for this person. Step two: Faith. My oldest looked his little brother in the eye and said “I know you can do it”. Translation: I love you and I believe in you. The only thing more powerful than that is God. Step three: Right after the “I know you can do it” my oldest also said “I’ll be here if you fall”. And fall he did. Going in a straight line was pretty easy but the first turn didn’t go so well. But there was his older brother picking up the bike and his brother for another try. Knowing you’re not alone and there is someone to pick up the pieces is the type of comfort that penetrates your very being. Now a few days later there is this little bike and its rider zooming all over the place. Going faster, trying new things like laying down some rubber with a high speed skid, and finding new places to ride are the daily norm.
It occurred to me that my faith in God should follow the same basic pattern. I need to remind myself that God loves us the way a father loves a child and there is nothing I can do to make God love me less. I also need to remember that when I fall God is there to pick up the pieces and heal the hurt. With this knowledge, with this comfort I can take chances, explore new relationships, learn more and love deeper. Making it happen is hard, sometimes I get it right. Most of the time I let fear get in the way. As usual I learn more from my kids than they learn from me.