By: Alexa Zerrate
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” Hebrews 12:1
My husband always wanted to buy a Harley. When he bought his first bike, he would invite me to ride with him, but I was petrified just thinking about it.
We went to the Harley dealership a few years later to get a new bike. The salesman said that the reason I was so afraid to ride was because I had never ridden one. So they offered me a free class. A couple of weeks later, there I was, learning all about a Harley and riding one for the first time!
I was still afraid, but I went through with it. We practiced eight different exercises during the two-day class. We learned everything from going straight, slowing down for a bump in the road, going fast and slamming on the breaks, and what to do “in case we saw a bear!” I have to say, I fell in EVERY SINGLE exercise, but, I fell “gracefully”.
When I knew I was going to fall, I didn't hold on to the bike but held the bike itself and got my feet on the ground first, placing the bike down slowly instead of letting it hit hard on the ground. Every time I fell, the instructors came to make a report about the bike, to count the scratches, and to check on me. I never got yelled at or frowned upon. They always said, “It's ok, it happens to the best of us. Get on the bike, and let’s try it again.”
The second day came, and the last thing we had to do was the test. Each of us had to go through every exercise to get a score to be approved for the license to drive a motorcycle.
My husband came to me before the most difficult part of the test and said: “Don’t look down; keep your eyes on where you want to go.
Funny enough, I passed all the tests, didn’t fall, and received my motorcycle permit.
Sometimes life is like that. When we focus too much on where we are and the fear we feel, we can easily fall and get stuck in that season of life. But when Jesus says to look up, keep your eyes on the prize, live in heaven and in eternity with Him, we know that even through the most challenging tests, He is walking with us, rooting for us, and coaching us to get there. He knows we all fall short of his glory, but He asks that we get back up, learn from our mistakes, and continue our journey to run this race we call life.
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