Tales from the trenches, as I rebuild my life on a foundation of Jesus Christ.
Tales from the trenches, as I rebuild my life on a foundation of Jesus Christ.

Don't look at the truck!

Lessons Learned from Parenthood

As I contemplate trying to teach my 4 year old how to ride a bike this summer (no small feat considering I am not particularly inspired to ride one myself), I started thinking back to bike lessons from my Dad about 30 years ago. I remember wobbling along on my training wheels, headed straight for a parked truck, and my Dad shouting behind me "Don't look at the truck!! Look at the road, where you want to go!"

I still remember noticing my reflection in the chrome bumper a moment before impact. The subsequent goose egg might explain a few things about my personality LOL.

Anyway, I think it's conventional wisdom that when skiing, biking, driving, whatever, we need to look where we want to go, not at our obstacles. We will go where our eyes lead us.

But what about in other areas of our lives?

How often do we pray to be healed, while focusing on the illness we want to be healed from?
How often do we pray for life to get easier, while zeroing in on its challenges?
How often do we focus on our flaws, while trying to grow?

Just like my childhood self focused on, and crashed into, the truck, I think my adult mind and Spirit focus on (and crash into) things I desperately want to steer away from. Over and over again ... I'm a slow learner.

Where, then, must I focus?? On God. I need to recognize my fears, challenges, illnesses, obstacles, but then focus on where I want to go ... God. The only one who can handle it all for me. The only one with power to bring about change. Focusing on him makes all things possible for me.  And for you, too.

What "trucks" are you trying to steer away from right now? And how can you focus on God instead?  If you'd like to, pray with me:

"God, you know the extent of stuff I'm going through right now.  I know you get it.  I'm tired of doing this myself and crashing.  I know I need to stop worrying about it and trying to fix it myself.  I want to keep my eyes fixed on you, God -- I hand over all my problems to you, right now, and I'm going to keep doing that whenever I find myself worrying again (probably in 5 minutes).  But I'm going to keep handing it over to you until I get good at it. Be with me God and let me feel this burden lift.  Thank you Jesus.  Amen."

Song: Angel Armies (Whom shall I fear?) by Chris Tomlin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg



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