Last summer, I taught my youngest son how to ride a bike. We were using the   tried and true formal of me holding the bike upright as he climbed on. I would continue holding the back of the seat as he started to pedal wobbly with the bike swerving back and forth across the side walk.

I would start to push him faster while holding on to the seat and he would peddle faster in response. When we would get to what I though was a good speed, I would let him go. The first time I let go he went a little ways and fell into the grass along the sidewalk. I walked over, picked the bike up, and we repeated the process. He went a little way and fell in the grass again, and again and again. We kept doing this over and over and at one point he said to me “Dad, this is hard”. I told him “I know it is hard but sometimes we have to do things that are hard. Keep trying.”

After we had that brief exchange, I couldn’t help but think what a great example of God’s grace teaching my son how to ride a bike turned out to be. Especially an example of uncomfortable grace, like was mentioned by Paul David Tripp, in my previous post. God will put us in positions that we aren’t comfortable in so that we can grow through perseverance and struggle.

God has a bike for you that he wants you to learn to ride. It may be hard to ride at first and you may fall over and over again but God will keep picking up the bike and holding it for you to try again and again. God will make sure it stays on the sidewalk even though you are swerving back and forth unsteadily. You simply need to keep getting up and  on the bike and to remember the most important thing – keep peddling.

See you on the third floor!