But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
James 1:22
I had approximately zero interest in learning how to ride my bike growing up. I just didn’t care. I had training wheels on my little bike, and we had one of those tag along bikes that had a wheel and pedals for me, but that also attached to my dad’s bike when we went for longer family bike rides- why did I need to learn how to actually ride a bike??
My parents tried, but alas to no avail. I was dependent on my training wheels and I was happy with them. This lasted until I was around 7 and half years old. It was a beautiful summer day, my mom was out of town, dad was working, and I was spending the day with my grandparents. And they wanted to go for a bike ride.
I told them I couldn’t because I needed training wheels and they were on my bike at home. I remember thinking that was it- end of story. There was nothing to be done, maybe we would go hiking instead. Then grandpa came inside and announced that the bikes were strapped onto the car, there was an extra helmet for me and …. We were going biking. I protested that I couldn’t bike and he told me sure I could.
I don’t remember exactly how I felt, or what I thought on the ride to the bike trail; I think it was a mix of smugness, I knew I couldn’t bike- there would be no biking, and a mix of terror that he was going to sit me on the bike and expect me to bike!
We got there and grandpa explained that I was going to sit on the bike and pedal and he would jog along holding the seat upright from behind, he wouldn’t let me fall. I got on and started to pedal and he encouraged me to pedal faster, so I did and after several seconds I didn’t hear him anymore. I glanced over my shoulder to see grandpa a ways back, jogging to catch back up to me. I was biking!
I don’t remember if I fell that day, but if so I didn’t get hurt but I learned how to ride a bike. All it took was someone taking me outside of my comfort zone and telling me I was going to and not giving me the option to back out. It’s amazing what us humans can figure out when we are not given a recourse. It was time for me to be a big girl and take off the training wheels.
In Hebrews 5 starting in verse 12 the author says that by now the recipients of this letter should be mature christians, teaching others and instead they are still mastering the basics- unwilling to move out of their comfort zones of old religious culture and into their new faith in Christ.
Yet, how many of us sit in faith without maturing as we should? We are meant to be doers of the word- not just hearers. Just like I needed to step outside of my comfort zone and let go of my training wheels, so too comes the point in our lives when we need to step out in faith in roles that God is calling us to, take off our training wheels, and allow God to take us outside of our comfort zone.
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