from the pen of Jeff Joyner
I remember as a kid, my older brother got a brand new English Racer bicycle for Christmas. I was shocked at how nice it was, but instead of being happy for him, I became very jealous. What made it more difficult, was that he wouldn’t let me ride it, since he thought it was too big for me to handle. From that moment on, I was determined to prove him wrong, and began attempting to control and manipulate him into letting me ride his bike.
As the days went by, it was clear, he was not going to let me anywhere near his bike. This went on for some time, although I remained persistent. One day, much to my delight, he finally gave in, and said I could ride his bike just once, down the hill of our street. I felt my persistence had paid off. Basking in this personal victory, I confidently walked his bike up the hill, climbed on, and began my journey down. It didn’t take me long to realize, that I was going faster than I had ever gone before, on any bicycle. As I began to apply the pedal brakes to slow down, something unexpected happened. Instead of stopping the bike, the pedals kept spinning backwards. What I did not know, was that the brakes were on the handlebars, not the foot pedals. By the time I reached the bottom of the hill, I was going so fast, that I began to lose control, and eventually crashed into the side of a neighbor’s house. I learned that day, that patterns of control and manipulation, could never assure me of success. In fact, it led me straight into a brick wall. And it would be a long time, before I would be able to regain the trust of my brother again. Jesus said in Matthew 16:25: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” A clear reminder that, If we are but willing to relinquish control of our lives to the Lord, we can be fully assured, that He will be faithful to direct our steps, light our way, and lead us safely home.
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” Psalms 37:3
