“Don’t be discouraged.
The work you do will be rewarded." ~ 2 Chronicles 15:7
“Dad, can I get a unicycle,” Gracie
asked, pointing to the now ancient one hanging in the corner of Nathan’s
garage. The single-wheeled contraption
that had brought him such joy as a child hung deserted on the wall. Its once glossy red paint was blistered with
rust; its seat a ghostly form of its previous self.
He brushed it’s rough surface as if that could take him back
to the happy days of youth, when his mother was still alive and, without
computers or television, kids shot marbles and built tree houses. On days when his chores were done, Nathan
would walk the dog from his perilous seat.
The appeal of such a machine was simple: clean with no gears, no chain
and only one contact point connecting its rider to the ground below.
“Of course,” Nathan replied. “Then maybe you can teach your
Mom.”
Two hours later and $95 lighter, Gracie’s new 16” unicycle was
ready for the first fall. “Watch this
Grace,” Nathan told her, “center yourself and then start . . .” He crashed before he even started pedaling. “And don’t do that!”
The summer of 1984 he’d learned how to fall – and to get
back up again, hundreds of times. Even
today as Nathan tried to demonstrate, he learned the lesson again – a little
slower and more painful 40 years later (later he found a bruise the size and
color of a small eggplant on his calf), but educational the same.
Gracie’s still young enough that riding a unicycle is a
novelty. Five years from now she’ll not
likely boast about her unicycling prowess, especially if she’s no more skilled
than her Dad. Even today Nathan can
barely make it to the end of the block before falling. Yet as the breeze blows briefly through his
thinning hair, Nathan thought about how great God is . . . before falling yet
again.
Maybe the lessons she will learn from falling will stick
with her longer than the bruises she’ll incur from this misguided fatherly adventure.
Riding a unicycle is like life. To be successful and enjoy the ride, they both
require tremendous balance and focus.
And there is always something new to learn!
By the end of her short lesson, Gracie could only stay
upright in place while holding onto Nathan. She couldn't complete a revolution
of the wheel without the unicycle skidding out from under her.
But she’ll learn with time.
And when Gracie finally reaches the point of wheeling out of the school
yard on her unicycle, she’ll have also achieved at least two goals: she’ll have
a charming means to stay active and healthy and she’ll know what’s required to
learn something very difficult.
Lord Jesus, help me choose the more difficult
path, and grant me the courage and determination to stand firm in my endeavors.
Please give me the strength to outlast my trials. I know You have great plans for me! In Jesus
name, Amen
