This Holiday, The Training Wheels Are Coming Off

A couple of weeks ago, the training wheels literally came off. We decided it was finally time to help Annika learn to ride a bike (especially since we got her one for Christmas. Shhh!). Until recently, she hasn't showed a lot of desire in learning to ride but now other bike-riding kids in the neighborhood have stirred her interest. While she hasn't demonstrated off-the-charts aptitude in coordination and athleticism, I was hopeful we could learn in relative short order.

We did.

Could I get a Woo Hoo?!?! There were wobbles, even falls. We had second-guessing and wanting to "take a break" (aka quit). There was lots of encouragement, if not cajoling. Starts and stops. False starts. And Reminders. I found myself helping her see what I was seeing. "Annika, look how far you just went!" "Annika, You just rode your bike by yourself" (albeit for 5-10 yards). "Annika, think of what it will feel like when we can show mom how good you can ride a bike all by yourself." I was hopeful because this has been done before by countless others. And I was confident that future enjoyment of riding faster, more independently, with friends, etc would far outweigh the immediate struggle.

This week in Advent we're considering Hope. Tuesday's reading from the Advent book says, "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are."(Rom.8:18-19). It's hard for me to think about hope without also thinking about waiting. Can you have one without the other? I love hope but not such of fan of waiting. Yet, waiting isn't just idle time (like standing in line or sitting in a doctor's office). Waiting usually involves patience, practice, faithfulness, and commitment.

So, how do we live in a culture that values instant gratification and maintain hope? Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hope is different than wishful thinking. It's a confidence of things to come. It banks on Truth and the promise of God. I think the discipline of hope recounts the faithfulness of God and helps us see a better tomorrow. Advent helps us see Christmas as more than a birthday. Advent (which means 'coming') reminds us that Christ came AND ALSO that he's not done yet either. God is actively restoring this good earth to the way he intended. So, hope is not just a feeling we have but a practice. Hope in practice can feel like the training wheels just came off.

Hope-full for what's to come,
David Sunde
Certified Cycling Trainer