Biking and Praying

A friend of mine who is one of the finest preachers I have ever known once told me that he didn't always feel like waking up early and going to church. (We were talking about my excuses...) But he said "when I feel like I don't really want to go to church, I've found that's when I need it the most."

This morning, I didn't feel like biking in to work. It wasn't even 50 degrees and I was tired. I was feeling lazy. It would have been so much easier to fire up the ol' gas-guzzler and pollute my way to work. At least then I wouldn't have to do anything other than sit...

But somehow I mustered the energy to crawl out of bed, put on my warm clothes and bike in to the office. I was amazed at how refreshing and invigorating the cool morning air was, and with a few layers I was more than comfortable. I started thinking about how cool it was to have legs that could pedal a bike at all.

I began to pray...

One thing that I enjoy doing is praying while I bike to work. It's about 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic and trains. My world is not completely isolated, but God meets me on the morning commute. I get the chance to pray for people who need prayer - like my children. I get the chance to praise God for glorious sunrises and incredible cloud formations. I get the chance to examine my own thoughts and listen to God as He whispers into them.

When I don't feel like biking in to the office are the times that I'm most glad I did anyhow. I'm sure there's a post about human nature in here somewhere, but for this morning I'm going to leave it at the fact that my body feels great and my spirit and mind are refreshed in 30 simple minutes spent with the Lord.

Yet another reason to keep pedaling...