Topic: When We Fall Down (Part 2 of 4, Bike Riding)

Keeping Our Balance (Part 1 of 4)
Jesus Hurts With Us (Part 3 of 4)
Pain Erased (Part 4 of 4)

When a child learns to ride a bicycle, sometimes it helps to put training wheels on the bike. Training wheels are the little wheels you put on a bicycle to help a child learn how to balance without falling over. We used them on my son's first bicycle. However, the day of reckoning came when the training wheels came off. My son never learned to ride his first bike using the training wheels and a new, bigger bike was about to be purchased. So I got out the wrench and removed the nuts that held the training wheels on. The training wheels and their brackets slipped off easily into my hands. Almost too easily for my son. I could see the fear in his eyes. I gave fatherly words of encouragement about…

...how easy it is to learn how to ride without the training wheels
...that once you learn you never forget
...that you only have to ride a few feet to learn to keep your balance
...that I'll hold you up to get you started (but we both knew the big truth)

The big truth was that learning to ride without training wheels was something he was going to have to do by himself. We both knew he might fall down and get hurt in the process. We both knew if he was ever to learn how to ride a bike there wasn't anything either of us could do about avoiding falling down and maybe getting hurt. After I removed the training wheels I turned the bike upright on the sidewalk. My son crawled on. I asked him if he was ready and he belatedly said "Yeah", but we both knew he really meant "No way." I started pushing and holding him upright on the bike for a few feet but eventually I had to let go. Amidst my yelling and clapping encouragement, my son managed to pedal a few feet and then he fell. I grimaced in pain. He picked himself up and walked back to me and we tried it again. This time he pedaled farther but fell again. I grimaced in pain again. For me it was torture seeing my son having to endure this pain just to learn how to ride a stupid bicycle. I kept encouraging, he kept falling, but eventually he learned. God works the same way. When you fall down, He is there to help you up and encourage you. You can always go back to Him with your pain. He also hurts with you when you hurt. Even when you do not know it, He is hurting when you hurt. You are never alone.

If these words have been a blessing to you please forward them to a friend.

These words were posted at one of Shepherd's Care Ministries Sites called Wisdom Moment. This site is located at:
https://www.shepherdscare.net/wisdomminute

Shepherd's Care Ministries Main Site located at:
https://www.shepherdscare.net/