🚲 A young boy named Mike had just gotten a new bicycle for his birthday and was over the moon! He had seen the older kids have loads of fun riding around the neighborhood and performing tricks on their bikes – soon he would be able to join them too! But first he would have to master the art of riding the bicycle.
His dad had promised to teach him this weekend, but Mike was too eager to wait and begin trying out his new bike in the backyard on his own. For a couple of days he tried to emulate the boys he had seen, but somehow always couldn’t keep his balance.
He started at very low speed, and put all his focus into trying to keep the bike from falling – but somehow he could never seem to get the bike to stay upright.
That day during dinner time when Mike’s dad asked how his day went, Mike yelled out in frustration “I hate bicycles! They are so stupid and hard to use!”
His dad looked at him with a sympathetic smile.
“Don’t worry buddy, I know a little trick that will will get you riding in no time. Let’s try it out tomorrow”
This filled Mike with a glimmer of hope once more. Finally, the weekend was here.
“First show me how you’ve been trying to ride the bike,” his dad said.
Eager to impress his father, Mike mustered all his effort and once again tried to steady the bike at low speeds. Yet the ride was a little wobbly and he eventually lost balance again.
“I don’t understand! I’m trying my best to focus on keeping it stable but it just keeps crashing!” Mike exclaimed.
His father calmly replied, “Ah you see my dear boy, the whole time you’ve been looking down at the bike and trying to stabilize it when you should have been looking forward. Sometimes the less you try to control the situation, the smoother it becomes.”
“Now I’m going to slowly guide your bike and I want you to focus on what’s in front of you. Look at the destination that you want to go and just let your body do the balancing naturally.”
Under his father’s guidance and watchful hand, Mike finally managed to master riding the bike that day!
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
– Proverbs 3:5-6
Doesn’t Mike’s story sound familiar and applicable to so many situations in life? Are there any situations that you are have been trying to control and taking only a narrow view?
Just like how Mike made the mistake of only trying to “keep the bike steady”, we too sometimes adopt too narrow an approach to the problems that we are facing. But when we look ahead at the pivotal focus in our lives, everything just gets so much easier and things naturally fall in place.
For us Christians, this pivotal point is God our Father. As long as we focus our efforts on Him instead of the pain or suffering that we are going through, He will make sure that we shall be “riding smooth and without worries”.
Focusing On Problems Keeps You “Trapped”
Just like Mike’s story of learning how to ride a bike, focusing on merely trying to solve a problem in front of you may actually be counter-intuitive and have an opposite effect than the result that we want! This can quickly build up to frustration and anger at one’s “inability” to overcome the problem swiftly.
As another analogy, if you are facing financial problems and are hard on cash, constantly thinking that you are poor and don’t have money may actually keep you in that cycle of subconscious limiting thoughts.
When you feel like this is happening to you, perhaps it’s time to change focus and look to Him for guidance. Learning to let go is about lifting up all your worries to God and trusting that He will take control over our lives.
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” – Psalm 25:9
Mike’s journey from frustration to mastery on his bicycle is a beautiful analogy for our spiritual journey. We are reminded to embrace patience, seek guidance, and trust in God’s plan for our lives. Like riding a bike, our spiritual journey may have its wobbly moments, but with faith and trust in God, we can navigate the path laid before us with grace and confidence.
Let us take these lessons to heart, remembering that in every challenge and every new venture, God is guiding us just as Mike’s father guided him. In doing so, we can find peace and joy in our journey no matter how unsteady the path may seem.
