These, as you can see, are two bicycles. One of them came into my life after the first was stolen, albeit due to my ignorance and carelessness. The one on the right arrived this year, when I first saw her on a to-sell ad on a local secondhand bike website.
What is so important about them that I speak about them on a blog dedicated to the inner battles we fight as believers in a faithless world? They are symbols of God's grace in my life, and a constant reminder to hold fast to the truth of His Word. How so, one might ask?
From the first time I laid my hands on my first mountain bike (now lost to me), I knew cycling was going to be one of my core passions. When I first wheeled my bike home, I got a earful from my mother, and a decidedly worried look from my father. They have come to accept it's part of me now, and now make it a point to remind me to be careful on the road.
What then is the big deal here? It is the journey that I have travelled to own these two bikes. The first mountain bike (now lost to me) was only the beginning. I only genuinely learnt how to maintain a bike when this second mountain bike came to me. It was a desperate buy; an attempt to have a sturdy frame from which I could start riding again. It came with brakes I later discarded, wheels I ended up selling off, a seatpost that was too short and a stem that was too high. I invested time and money to make it suitable for me, and I have practically swapped out every part on this bike. I learnt a great deal about how bikes work over the last two years. I also learnt that my passion was not only in cycling, but commuting by bike.
This set the stage for the second bike. I searched and searched for a long time, for a bike that would suit my ideal commuting vehicle - low maintenance, high reliability, simplicity of use. It was a long search, and I almost quit looking. But one day, I found an online ad for the sale of this bike, secondhand. It was in a place pretty distant from me, but I knew this was the one bike I had to personally see. I didn't know what was a Sturmey-Archer hub, nor what brand Maxway was. I only knew that I'll see it in person and I'll decide then. I bought it, and it was only because a trusted friend gave me a quick loan. He lent it to me with nary a second thought, and I didn't even really ask. I only showed him how beautiful I thought the bike on sale was.
Here's the story behind these two bikes, lovely 'ladies' that I rely on for all the fun on trails and on a commute. This is the story of God's love for my passion. I wish I could tell the tale in fewer words, but it wouldn't do my heavenly Father any justice, because He took the time to weave a tale of His love and grace over such a long time period. If you asked penniless me three years ago whether I would one day own two bikes, I would answer with a 'yes', but I would imagine it was when I had a steady job and income. My passion for cycling was met with God's loving care and grace. Indeed, He is Jehovah Jireh - The Lord my Provider. He will not put a passion in a man, in which He does not bring to completion in due time. If He is so concerned for my passion for cycling, should not my whole being be committed to His passion for the eternal souls of men? Therefore, I say, I will delight in Him every day, because I am well-loved.
Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart."
