“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on…” Hebrews 6:1

Press On, Press In

Walk His Way Revisited

My husband and I were veterans at riding our tandem bicycle and we had worn out more than one set of tires as we peddled through Shasta County and beyond. Our longest excursion had been from San Juan Capistrano to San Diego.

A tandem bicycle is a unique contraption having a captain on the front seat and a stoker on the back seat. I learned many lessons as a stoker. I had to learn trust. The stoker has no control whatsoever regarding direction, speed, or pace. My husband had to learn to communicate clearly to me what was happening, otherwise I might lean the wrong way, freeze up, or even panic. The stoker has to work as hard as the captain, but be in total sync with him. Riding our green machine was a good illustration of trusting submission and considerate leadership.

And so it came to pass, as we wanted to challenge our skills and endurance, that we signed up for a century biking event. A century event means the course is one hundred miles. We had participated in other shorter events and easily completed a sixty-five mile ride, so we felt we were ready for this. It was in the desert and the desert is supposed to be flat. It was winter, so the weather would be fine.

The event started early in the day and with much excitement we began our ride, looking forward to a successful journey. Our first surprise dawned as we looked across the horizon and realized the desert was not flat at all, but a series of long climbs and what seemed to be very short descents. We had our work cut out for us. In addition, the weather, though mild, was very drying and we were quickly dehydrated.

In previous events we would ride fifteen miles or so and there would be a rest stop with food such as energy bars, fruit, cheese, cold drinks. We would pull in, restock our energy reserves, take a breather and be off again. However, on this occasion we rode a full thirty-five miles before our first rest stop appeared. To our deepening dismay, all they had was some M&Ms and a mariachi band.

Our fun day quickly turned into what we now refer to as “death in the desert.” We expended everything we had and at mile eighty-five, my beloved captain hit the wall. Physically he was not functioning, his brain was fuzzy, and he could not keep the bike upright. We had to tap out and get picked up by the sag van only fifteen miles from our goal. We really had no choice. Nevertheless, we both felt horrible for weeks afterward about quitting, about falling short, about not reaching the end of the race.

A bike race is one thing and our faith is quite another. Our faith cannot remain stagnant. We must not tap out. We must be a growing, moving, active living sacrifice that perseveres. Hebrews exhorts us, “let us go on.” We must grow and learn and mature. Beware an arrested spiritual life! Do not remain in the basic tenets of faith but move forward, ever upward, ever onward. Take responsibility for prayer, giving, study, mentoring and ministry. “And this we will do if God permits” (Hebrews 6:3). Complacency cannot be tolerated in the life of a true believer. It is truly death in the desert.

May the Holy Spirit stir us. May we dig deep into the truths of God. May we be quick to repent and press into God all the more. I don’t want to ever be found in the place where I take Jesus for granted and think this faith just doesn’t matter anymore. Jesus has never quit on me. In fact, He thinks of me in ways that leave me stunned in wonder at His feet. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us! Trust me, quitting is just ugly.

Father, we want to continue to press on to know You in richer and ever more intimate ways. May we never settle for less than Your best for us. Be the strength that carries us safely home. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.