I was very proud of that beautiful wine colored bike and would polish it up and maintain it meticulously, taking it apart, lubricating the chain and gears, making sure the tires and tubes were in great shape.
Riding in Colorado is a wonderful experience almost anywhere along the front range as many professional bike racers have found out, and so they come to this area just to train.
In the summers before I went off to College I would ride 10 miles out to the Adams county fairgrounds and then back again in the intense, dry, Colorado summer heat just about every day.
After I began recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident in 2010, I needed to get back in shape so out came the 15 speed pseudo mountain bike (It's a Huffy, don't laugh) and pedal power became once again, my favorite form of exercise.
At first it was grueling pedaling, huffing and puffing my way only about 2-3 miles, but after about three weeks or so I was beginning to get my "riding legs" back to the point where 6-8 miles or so isn't that difficult.
Today was a different story however. The winds were blowing hard from the north as they do in the Great Plains just east of the Rockies. Weather fronts push down from the northwest into Colorado just as they were today, and I found myself riding into stiff headwinds heading towards home.
As my 50 something legs began protesting at the pushing I was asking them to do and a brutal headwind was blowing me around with cars flying by, I offered up a little prayer..."Lord, if you can lessen these headwinds a little I would really appreciate it."
Now, those who may not believe that God hears such small, seemingly trivial prayers like this one might be tempted to ask the question... "What makes you think a mighty God, that you say created the entire universe would answer such a measly, off the cuff prayer from one individual?"
I've asked that very question myself in the past, and I think it's a good one.
As I was pedaling...quickly running out of steam and doing my personal version of "The little engine that could" I put my head down, shifting gears several times battling the stiff headwind and lo and behold, sooner than I thought, I came to the juncture in the road where I had to turn east. Approaching the turn I began thinking to myself..."O.K., I wonder what the wind will be like heading east? if It's coming from the north, east might not be any better and I've got a ways to go."
As I made the turn eastward, to my great surprise, the wind seemed to be at my back, which was strange because riding out earlier, the wind was at my back as I was heading west!
Now that's just weird...the wind was at my back going the opposite direction before, and now it's pushing me eastward?
It was just a seemingly small, meager, but heartfelt prayer...
If you're confronting stiff headwinds...facing things you did not expect at this point in your life.
Perhaps it's a divorce, loss of a parent or child, a serious illness you yourself are dealing with, or someone that you care deeply about, maybe you're experiencing loss of a job. First of all, know that you are not alone, many have faced the "stiff headwinds" life throws at us. Including the person writing this blog.
And also know that God does indeed listen to our simple, meager, but heartfelt prayers said in faith. He hears them and answers those prayers not only of the smallest, seemingly trivial requests, but the big kind as well.
"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you" Matt. 7:7
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