Last Saturday, Christopher and I went to the state park to go bike riding! I truly enjoy bike riding, but I am far from in shape right now and it was well over 100 degrees that afternoon...so it was rough! As we started out pedaling around the loop of the state park we start at the bottom of the hill....I complained about starting up hill...why didn't we go the other way, so that we could go down hill first?! But my husband insisted, so I followed! We continued this journey...sometimes I was walking my bike up the big hills...stopping for water every now and then! It was hot! I was sore! I was getting grumpy...UGH! Why did we decide to do THIS...today...when it was SO hot out? At one point we stopped for a brief water break, and I needed to sit down for a minute, I was feeling dizzy, and really hot! I drank a lot of water but still was not feeling good...wasn't really sure if I could keep going, kinda felt like I was going to pass out. I even laid down on the ground at one point, it was so hot! I remember thinking, maybe Chris will go get the car and we can just call it quits for today! Instead my husband knelt down next to me, took my pulse (like a good paramedic does ;-), told me to drink some more water and helped me up to my feet. After giving me a little bit more time to breathe, he said alright, let's get going, you can do this. We pushed through a few more hills and even got to go down hill quite a bit in the end! We finally finished the whole loop and jumped in the lake afterwards to cool off.
I could stop there and just let you have a glimpse of our fun, HOT afternoon, but that was not really the point in me telling you this story. You see as we were finishing the loop, the Lord began to speak to me. In the same way that on that bike ride I got tired, had to walk my bike, needed water, had to rest, and was hot; our life will be like that! There will be moments when I can't keep climbing the hill full speed on the bike and I must stop and walk the rest of the way up. There will be moments that I just need to be refreshed and need to soak in some water. There will be moments when I don't feel like going on, when I just want to give up and quit. But just like on that ride, I will make it through those difficulties in life...not by my own strength, but with the overwhelming support of my sweet husband and by the strength and courage of Our Lord! The Lord will be that refreshment that I NEED to keep going. He will be there to keep pushing through the hills and will allow me to rest in His arms when the days are hard. And now...the Lord has also given me a husband, a man whom I trust and love with all my heart. A man that will kneel down be side me, take my pulse-knowing me better than I know myself, encourage me drink of the Lord and to keep going, because he knows that I can do it. A man that will lead the way and even purposefully leave the down hill part for the end of the loop, knowing that by then I would have nothing left! A man that while leading me, will have his eyes focused on the Lord and the plans and steps that HE lays out for us to take!
Whether on a hot bike ride in Texas, living in the slums of Africa or traveling down whatever path the Lord leads us on, I am so very blessed to be following this amazing man!!
I could stop there and just let you have a glimpse of our fun, HOT afternoon, but that was not really the point in me telling you this story. You see as we were finishing the loop, the Lord began to speak to me. In the same way that on that bike ride I got tired, had to walk my bike, needed water, had to rest, and was hot; our life will be like that! There will be moments when I can't keep climbing the hill full speed on the bike and I must stop and walk the rest of the way up. There will be moments that I just need to be refreshed and need to soak in some water. There will be moments when I don't feel like going on, when I just want to give up and quit. But just like on that ride, I will make it through those difficulties in life...not by my own strength, but with the overwhelming support of my sweet husband and by the strength and courage of Our Lord! The Lord will be that refreshment that I NEED to keep going. He will be there to keep pushing through the hills and will allow me to rest in His arms when the days are hard. And now...the Lord has also given me a husband, a man whom I trust and love with all my heart. A man that will kneel down be side me, take my pulse-knowing me better than I know myself, encourage me drink of the Lord and to keep going, because he knows that I can do it. A man that will lead the way and even purposefully leave the down hill part for the end of the loop, knowing that by then I would have nothing left! A man that while leading me, will have his eyes focused on the Lord and the plans and steps that HE lays out for us to take!
Whether on a hot bike ride in Texas, living in the slums of Africa or traveling down whatever path the Lord leads us on, I am so very blessed to be following this amazing man!!
Of course as your Mom, I am thankful to know that Christopher is taking good care of you. But as a fellow Christian wife, I am thankful to know that the Lord is teaching you about being Christopher's wife. Teaching you about submitting to your husband as unto the Lord himself. Teaching you about being that 'helper suitable' the He created you to be for Christopher. This has been my prayer for you ever since I knew you were getting married. And is my prayer for wives in general. I know I have had many times of struggle in following my husband, thinking that I knew better. And the Lord continues to teach me about myself and Himself and my husband through these times. I love you, Emmy.
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