It's Monday, the last Monday of school this year. The kids have been counting down. So have I, but for different reasons. They can't wait to stay up late, wake up early, play all day and be free from homework! I can't wait to go to bed earlier, get up later, and be free from homework histeria. But I am quite concerned about what we're going to do all day, every day!
I want this summer to be filled with life lessons and fun family memories like the one I had this weekend on a bike ride with Joshua, my twelve-year-old. We have this "mini-mountain" that leads out of our neighborhood. I decided we needed to conquer it on our bikes. It was great comic relief as I peddled up the incline. My bike was in 1st gear. I was peddling so fast, yet moving so slowly, that I looked (and felt) like I was on a stationary bike! I was happy to entertain those doing yardwork or driving home from soccer games. I saw a few grins.
I struggled up the long hill cheering myself on with a silly ryhme - "'Going up is a killer, but coming down will be a thriller!"
I thought about how sometimes climbing life's mountains is the killer. I used to believe the hardest part was walking at the bottom of the mountain, in the valley. But as I pondered some of my most trying times, I remembered that it was climbing to the next peak that was so hard. How often have I wanted to give up? It is often the new horizons and assignments that wear me out and convince me that I don't have what it takes to get to where God is leading me.
But like that bike ride, when I have stayed the course it has been worth the pain once I came to my new "peak." Celebrating the climb and the thrill of riding down is always the best part! I love letting go, lifting my legs and just coasting on the momentum of time and energy spent to get there. No effort, just enjoying what I worked hard for as I depended on God for His gain.
We rode down the hill and Joshua shouted, "Hey, let's do that again!"
"Forget it!" I thought. I wanted to ride on level ground, where only moderate effort would be required at least for a little while. The coasting never lasts as long as I want it to!
We ended up riding for another 2 hours. We made it all the way to a nearby Target to shop for a gift for Joshua's friend. We shared a soda and daudled around looking at cards and toys. Just being with Joshua was a treat. Lessons I learned about climbing and coasting were just an added bonus!
I want this summer to be filled with life lessons and fun family memories like the one I had this weekend on a bike ride with Joshua, my twelve-year-old. We have this "mini-mountain" that leads out of our neighborhood. I decided we needed to conquer it on our bikes. It was great comic relief as I peddled up the incline. My bike was in 1st gear. I was peddling so fast, yet moving so slowly, that I looked (and felt) like I was on a stationary bike! I was happy to entertain those doing yardwork or driving home from soccer games. I saw a few grins.
I struggled up the long hill cheering myself on with a silly ryhme - "'Going up is a killer, but coming down will be a thriller!"
I thought about how sometimes climbing life's mountains is the killer. I used to believe the hardest part was walking at the bottom of the mountain, in the valley. But as I pondered some of my most trying times, I remembered that it was climbing to the next peak that was so hard. How often have I wanted to give up? It is often the new horizons and assignments that wear me out and convince me that I don't have what it takes to get to where God is leading me.
But like that bike ride, when I have stayed the course it has been worth the pain once I came to my new "peak." Celebrating the climb and the thrill of riding down is always the best part! I love letting go, lifting my legs and just coasting on the momentum of time and energy spent to get there. No effort, just enjoying what I worked hard for as I depended on God for His gain.
We rode down the hill and Joshua shouted, "Hey, let's do that again!"
"Forget it!" I thought. I wanted to ride on level ground, where only moderate effort would be required at least for a little while. The coasting never lasts as long as I want it to!
We ended up riding for another 2 hours. We made it all the way to a nearby Target to shop for a gift for Joshua's friend. We shared a soda and daudled around looking at cards and toys. Just being with Joshua was a treat. Lessons I learned about climbing and coasting were just an added bonus!
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