The Uphill Battle

John is an avid bike rider. He does races, he rides for miles and miles upon end, and he competes in triathlons. He owns a road bike that has 18 speeds, two in the front and nine in the back. Early on Saturday mornings, you can find him sprinting around White Rock Lake at a speed of 22 mph. Don't blink, you might miss him!

This morning at 7:00, he was up and out the door before I was even awake. (Sleeping in is the best part of Saturdays, in my book) However, around 9:00, he came rolling back in the house feeling alive and revived. I, on the other hand, was still in my PJs moping around the house trying to stir up some cereal for breakfast. With a smile from ear to ear, John said, "Okay...Let's go!"

I glanced up from my stance in the kitchen and eyed him for a moment. Is he serious? I am not going out...I still have on my pajamas! But John's smile did not budge. "Are you gonna ride in that getup?" he asked.

UGH! Not really wanting to go, I forced myself to put on some Capri pants, a sleeveless shirt and sneakers.

Outside in the brightness of the day, I started to feel a little more awake. The sun was shining down on the pavement and beating down on my skin. It was HOT! But when we started riding, a cool breeze began to cool my face. OK! I thought. This is going to be OK!

Out the gate, across Jupiter, and down the first neighborhood street was easy as pie. We weaved around through the neighborhood streets with ease, turning corners and pumping up tiny hills. I was loving it. Being out in the morning sun with my husband was making my heart happy. It was a dream.

We were flying down Rolling Rock when I spotted the next leg of our journey. A hill as tall as Pike's Peak. (Dun, dun, dun...) My strategy was to gain enough speed to fling myself half way up the hill then I could pedal the rest of the way to the top and (hopefully) not get to tired. Little did I know that gravity doesn't work that way. The fling only got me about a fourth of the way up the hill and when I started pedaling, I still had a LONG way to go before making it to the top.

Panic set in. I really did not want to have to stop half way through to catch my breath. So I started trying to think of something other than what I was doing. I noticed that the sign at the top of the hill said Lubbock Street, so I said to myself, Lubbock...I can make it to Lubbock...Oh wait! Lubbock is really about 600 miles away. Oh, I can't do this...Lord help me do this!

That is when the weirdest thing happened. I felt this hand on the small of my back. It was as if God had reached down and was giving me a little push like a daddy does when teaching a child to ride for the first time.

I heard this small voice whisper in my ear, "You can do it honey. Keep pedaling." That is when I realized that God put John's hand on my back and he was helping me get up that hill. Honestly, it was such an amazing experience to have someone love me so much that he would ride beside me and give me a little push up the hill.

I think that is what God meant to happen in marriage. He meant for each person to help the other by giving a little push. He meant for us to carry each other through the uphill battles of life.

Thank you Lord for knowing just what I needed and giving it to me so freely.