God, my bike, & I

Back in 2007 I purchased a road bike so I could start riding with roadies; they don't allow people to ride with them on time trial bikes and that was all I owned. I purchased the cheapest bike I could find at the time, it was a Cadillac RLE1.8 Road Bike. The 1st time I rode it I regretted my purchase, it's slow & heavy. I average 2-2.5 MPH slower than when I rode my time trial bike, but now that my time trial bike was destroyed in an accident I'm grateful to have it. My stance as a christian should be to have an attitude of gratitude, and when bad things happen I want to strive to pray and to accept Gods will over mine.

In Sept my TT bike was destroyed and I'm now forced to do all my training and racing on my road bike. I believe this slow and heavy bike was a gift from God. It's His way of reminding me that if I put Him 1st in my life He'll take care of the small things in my life. I believe this road bike is His way of showing me that He wont make me go without, and that nothing in my life is to small for Him to care about. This road bike I have is Gods way of showing me that He loves and will provide for me. It's also a great way for me to realize that the most important thing in triathlon isn't winning races or being fast. I should use triathlon as a tool to show others how I can involve God in everything I do and hopefully lead other triathletes to Christ.

In the Christian life it is not unusual for God to use hardship and pain to bring about good. Paul tells us in Romans 8:28, "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good." Pain and hardship are often the results of God disciplining His children, "for the Lord disciplines the ones He loves.... He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:6, 10-11.)

Not all discipline serves to correct me when I have done wrong. Often, God's discipline in my life is a way of strengthening me; it is a means of sanctification. Although Jesus never sinned, he still "learned obedience through what he suffered" (Heb, 5-8) and was made "perfect through suffering" (Heb. 2-10). As he grew from childhood to adulthood and continued through his life on earth, the task of obedience to God became harder and harder, and it included much suffering. Through all of this, Jesus increased in His strength to obey.

Since God works even through my experience of suffering and even death to complete my sanctification, preserving my life and my general comfort should not be my highest goal. Obedience to God and faithfulness in every circumstance is far more important. That is why Paul could tell the Ephesians elders, "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God".

Even though God uses a hardship like losing my cherished time trial bike for a positive means in my life, it is important to remember that suffering is not merely "natural," as people without God's word often think of it. Neither is sickness or evil or injustice natural. These things are not right, and in God's world they ought not to be. Although we live with these things now, one day all of them- even death- will finally be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:24-26)