I tucked my elbows close to my body and snugged my knees close to the frame so my bicycle would sail down the hill. The blur of asphalt gave me pause, but only a little. The pain of road rash when I was eight years old was seared into the back of my mind. Suddenly, I noticed debris on the road. I was fast approaching the curve in the road and knew it would be impossible to stop. A crash was inevitable. It was time to put on my helmet. Fortunately, I brought it with me in case I needed it, so I snugged it on my head and buckled the chin strap so the Styrofoam shell would cushion the blow soon coming to my skull.
ABSOLUTELY ABSURD
In reality, I never clipped my feet to the pedals until after I secured my helmet. Never. If I waited until a crash was looming before me, it would be too late. I have knelt on the side of the road for forty-five minutes waiting on the ambulance to pick up my dear friend whose scapula was shattered from a bike wreck, but whose head was protected by a helmet. However, the helmet did not fare so well, it was cracked in three places.
DON’T WAIT
Where is your helmet? Do you have your helmet ready in case you need it or is it strapped to your head in advance? Recently, I shared a story about a young widow whose first conscious thought after her husband died was, “I trust God.” That may have been her first conscious thought, but she could not have decided that in the moment. No, I suspect she and God go way back. I would bet He has demonstrated His faithfulness over and over. Otherwise, how could He be trusted?
YOU NEED A HISTORY
Trust comes from relationship and relationship takes time. Bonds are formed from shared experiences and conversations. When I was first diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in my eyes, I was in God’s word. Isaiah 41:10 became my lifeline,
“Don’t panic. I’m with you. I’ll help you and give you strength. I have a firm grip on you.” MSG
I believed God would be faithful tomorrow because I knew without a doubt He was faithful yesterday. But what if I did not know Him before the crash? If we didn’t have a history, I would not have been able to trust Him. Instead I would have trusted myself and I don’t know if I would have survived and surely I would not have thrived.
PUT ON YOUR HELMET
In fact put on the whole armor of God.
- The helmet of salvation
- The shield of faith
- The breastplate of righteousness
- Feet shod with the gospel of peace
- The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God
Ephesians 6:13, “This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” HCSB
Get your armor on in advance. Once you see the debris on the road, it’s too late!
On Saturday, I will share a guest post about God’s armor, which includes an opportunity to win a free book from the author. If you don’t receive my posts in your inbox, enter your email address so you don’t miss it.
So encouraging and uplifting as always. Always get a blessing from your posts.
Thanks so much, I am blessed you are reading
Thank you. This is just what I needed today!
So cool when God does that
My crashes seem to come so suddenly and unexpectedly that I wouldn’t have time to grab my helmet if I wanted. What a wonderful illustration of how we should live, and how we should put on that helmet of salvation every single day before we step into the spiritual warfare that threatens to send us sprawling face first across the pavement.
I so enjoyed meeting you yesterday afternoon at She Speaks, and I look forward to more of your posts!
It seemed to be a theme the last few days. Enjoyed meeting you too. Thanks for reading
Thanks Vickie! A very encouraging post and an awesome way to start this beautiful Sunday morning!
“Trust comes from relationship and relationship takes time.” I love this line. It’s the perfect reminder to keep investing in my relationship daily.
Wishing you a happy Sunday and a great conference trip!
Thank you, have a great week