Riding a Bike: A lesson of Faith and Hope in the Resurrection!

I remember and with great excitement when I told my dad that I was ready to shed off the tyranny of my training wheels and ride a big boy bike!  But even with the excitement, I faced some fears.  The bike from which I was going to learn from was too big for me.   My sisters had previously been the riders of the bike.  If I were to move on from the classic big wheel or bike with training wheels, I would have to learn how to start the bike by standing on its side, and I would also have to learn how to jump off while it was still in motion otherwise the bike would fall because my feet could not reach the ground from the seat.

We lived in a condominium complex and our family unit was on the beginning of a cul de sac; with the street ending with a loop.  My dad sat me on the bike seat and told me to start pedaling.  Before I knew it I was pedaling fast and my dad was no longer behind me.  In anxiety of coming to a stop and having the bike fall on me, the only logical thought that came to mind was to pedal harder and faster.  I eventually fell to the ground making a sharp turn on the cul de sac.  I ran inside to my mom to take care of my battle wounds for the day.  The event prevented me for at least a week before attempting to ride the bike on my own again.  After several attempts and falls I eventually enjoyed the freedom to ride a bike around the neighborhood!  Take that you training wheels (though I still loved my big wheel)!!!

So what does this have to do with anything, let alone my faith in Christ?

Mark Twain stated, "History doesn't repeat, but it sure does rhyme!"  Our life carries many similar patterns and our faith gives light to that pattern. We need to look at this pattern in the life of Christ! (A necessary and common theme for most if not all of my blogs).  This pattern founded in Christ was brought to my attention by a social worker who counseled married couples.

He would ask the married couple, "So what are the greatest things in the marriage?"  They would reply, "The kids, the sex, the compromising."
He would follow up with another question, "So what are the most difficult things in the marriage?"
Their answer really didn't change; "The kids, the sex, the compromising."

In counseling couples the social worker learned a basic lesson founded in Christ:  You can't have the Resurrection without the Cross!  The social worker continued to find another event in Christ's life that was in the cycle of the Cross and the Resurrection and that was the event of the Transfiguration.  In the Transfiguration, Jesus was seen talking to Moses and Elijah.  Peter in his excitement wanted to remain on the mountain top and make tents/booths.  But the Lord pointed Peter to the the Cross.  It was in the Cross, which was a necessary act of our Lord, that would give the Apostles the fruit of the Resurrection, which was the Descent of the Holy Spirit. (cf. John 16:7 - "For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you").

Our life does constantly rhyme as Mark Twain noticed.  It rhymes with transfigurations, crosses, and resurrections!

Let's just look at just a few examples:  a baby being born, riding a bike, wedding day, and the spiritual life.

In the mother's womb, the baby lives a life of comfort and protection (transfiguration).  The baby doesn't need to worry about food or much suffering.  I actually heard that during labor the baby fights against the labor.  But the baby is forced to leave the life of comfort and protection, only to be brought into the world with tears and cries (the cross).   But the babies life doesn't end in the life of tears, but smiles and laughter.   The senses of sight, smell, touch come forth and the baby receives love from their parents and will eventually learn how to love in return!

Now onto my story of riding a bike.  The desire to ride the bike started with great excitement and joy (transfiguration).  I actually started with great success only to find myself encountering the fall with scraped knees and bloody elbows (cross).  I eventually encountered the resurrection when I gained the freedom to ride without worrying about falling (resurrection).

A wedding day of course begins a journey of great excitement and joy (transfiguration).  Many people call the phase right after the wedding day the "honeymoon phase".  The honeymoon phase eventually ends and crosses begin to reveal itself in the growth of virtue (cross).  These crosses are seen in the form for the need for patience, the need for compromising, and working through difficulties and problems are just a few examples.  The married couple learns the need to surrender their own will for the sake of the spouse and family.  It is in these moments of the cross, as revealed by the social worker, the resurrection is found.  It is in the sacrifice that the family is brought to life!

The spiritual life is very similar.  As I worked on college campuses for many years, many students (including myself) began their journey of faith from a retreat/conference.  They encountered the love of the Lord and leave the retreat all fired up to change their life for the Lord (transfiguration).  This begins a journey that will actually transition into dryness and some difficulty (cross) as as the experience and joy of the retreat/conference begins to dissipate.  This dryness and difficulty is only to be followed by a deeper encounter with the Lord (resurrection)!  (see spiritual writings of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila pointing to this reality)

The difficulty we currently face in our culture is that our culture tells us to deny the Cross.  One example that comes to mind is what many are telling my friends who are getting married.  They give the following advice, "Don't have kids right away!"  The advice proceeds from the idea of protecting the married from the difficulties and crosses of raising a child.  They try to keep the married couple in the life of the transfiguration.  But if Christ remained at the transfiguration, the apostles would not have experienced the power of the Resurrection not the descent of the Holy Spirit!

Let us not deny the Cross, but accept those crosses that the Lord is graciously giving to us.  The result of embracing our crosses will only give us hope and assurance of the Resurrection.  After living through this constant pattern of Transfiguration, Cross, and Resurrection we will only receive a greater peace when it is our time to leave this world!  Seeing the constant faith of our Lord, when it is time for us to face our final Cross we can only have hope and assurance of our final Resurrection!