“But if you can do anything,” [the man said to Jesus], “take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” – Mark 9:22-24
I had not planned on writing about Friday’s 40-mile bicycle outing, but something peculiar happened and I think the dynamic at play illustrates an interesting principle.
The ride was fairly routine. We met up at Tarboro Brewing Company’s outdoor seating patio and got going around 8:00. We had seven, including a new-to-us but experienced biker, Carl. We changed up a standard route, heading out toward Rocky Mount before coming back through Tarboro and on to Speed, then riding back the long way.
What’s strange was that my AppleWatch failed to record one 10-mile section. I didn’t realize this and headed out of Speed believing we were – then – at around 23-miles. Guess we’re doing a shorter route, I thought to myself. I don’t usually struggle till around 35 miles so this is an easy run today.
Consequently, I cruised into Tarboro with energy to spare because my ride clock only read 33-miles. Meanwhile, everyone else had recorded 40-plus.
So why is this interesting? It’s interesting because the key factor in determining how much stamina I had was not reality but my belief. Or maybe my belief actually is reality?
I am still new to this cycling experience, and I know for a fact that 15-miles is great, 20 is in my wheelhouse and then I consider 25-30 a serious workout. I always seem to hit the wall between 30 and 35 and 40 takes just about everything I have.
But there I was, sailing back into Tarboro with energy to spare. Because I thought I had only peddled around 33-miles.
I firmly believe that a lot of the roadblocks we experience in life only matter because we believe they matter.
What if we took people we love and respect (say, maybe, Jesus) at their word? What if we lived into God’s promises instead of being held back by our own debilitating self-doubt?
A person who has been struggling could start life over based on ideas such as, “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Maybe the best really is yet to come? – DEREK