Pedaling into the Summer

Another year of teaching high school science is in the books, and yesterday I added another year to my age. The beginning of summer break is always very close to my birthday. Thankfully, instead of having to go to school on my special day, I’ve almost always found myself on a fun vacation. This year was no exception as my crew of four joined the rest of my family on Jekyll Island to pedal our way into the summer.

Bike trails loop and zigzag the peacefully quiet island state park, and the weather was perfect every day of our trip. I was impressed by my girls’ endurance as we pedaled long distances to reach different parts of the island and particularly loved the evening we rode to St. Andrews Beach to watch the sunset.

The last couple of years have felt like a hard climb up a treacherously steep mountain, so pedaling leisurely across perfectly flat ground seemed like a merciful opportunity to catch my breath. Those bike rides—with the cool breeze on my face and the rhythmic sound of ocean waves in the distance—offered valuable moments to reflect on the goodness of God in my life.

It’s so easy to get discouraged by this world in which we live, but we must set our minds on things above and consider what matters most (Colossians 3:2). We have only two jobs in this life: honoring God and loving people well. God sovereignly takes care of the details of our lives, and we are called to faithful living no matter what those details are. Doing our two jobs well does not guarantee worldly prosperity or earthly happiness, but it does make us more like Christ, which is far better. I don’t always honor God or love people well when life is challenging, but I’m grateful for the forgiveness that is mine in Christ and for the grace I receive to try again.

While I am back home now, I am grateful that pedaling into the summer on a rented bike almost 500 miles from here allowed me to consider the faithful and loving work of God over the last couple of years. He promises never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and he is working all things—the treacherously steep mountains and the perfectly flat paths—for our good because he loves us and because he has called us according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).  We must set our eyes on him so that we can honor him and love others well no matter the circumstance. Whether we’re climbing or pedaling, let’s keep going.