It was an uncharacteristically foggy morning when Mary, Erik and I went cycling last weekend. We were getting our bodies conditioned for the upcoming Elephant Rock ride in Castle Rock, Colorado this weekend. The “ERock” will present a 100-mile challenge that contains many, many hills. Frankly, the anticipation of the nearly 5,900 feet of elevation gain that are a part of the ride has provided some reason for anxiety for me. But in the fog I found my ride strategy and at the same time I discovered the richness of God’s instruction for life.
In the dense and heavy morning fog I couldn’t see what was beyond a hundred feet in front of me. My only objective was to pedal through what was immediately in front of me… I had no vision of what was beyond the fog, and consequently, the looming climb and the celebratory descent were obscured; captive to the mist. I rode without worry or relief… I just rode. Make no mistake, I knew full well when I was climbing and when I was free to really roll but this was different than any ride I had ever done… because I was forced to live in a place of faithfulness as opposed to a place of optimism or pessimism. The fog protected me from myself.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:34, Message)
Could it be that in the fog God was speaking? Was it possible that as my vision declined my faith increased? Is it the looming mountain that extinguishes my energy for today’s ride? Does the promise of a downhill make me self-reliant?
The fog doesn’t lie… it simply keeps my attention on today; and as such I pedaled, uphill and down… until I had completed my workout.
The weight of worry and the anticipation of relief can rob us of the promises of God… for daily bread, for new mercies each day, for His presence as I pedal each mile of the way.
I trained in the fog… body and soul.
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