I JUST “INHERITED” MY DAUGHTER’S MOUNTAIN BIKE. Krista is heading off to Burkina Faso in West Africa to serve with the Peace Corps and she left her bike in my care. Yes, it’s a “girl’s bike,” but my self-image is intact enough to handle that; what I found was more difficult was the physical aspect of riding it.
As I find myself back on my regular running schedule, I thought that riding her bike would be good cross-training for me. Since I can plod over eight miles of trails, I surmised hopping on the bike should be no problem. Wrong! Even though I lace up my running shoes and hit the roads three days a week, I quickly found out that riding a bike takes a whole different set of muscles. All this goes to prove you have to work outside your comfort zone if you’re going to truly get a well-rounded workout.
What is true for my physical body is also true for my spirit. Like many people, I find something I am comfortable with and just keep doing it. It may provide “benefits”, but when I fail to move outside my comfort zone I risk not exercising the whole of my spirit. It may mean that instead of praying for 15 minutes in the morning, we spend 30. Or instead of just reading a few verses of Scripture we tackle a more serious Bible study. Or instead of heading out for a nice Sunday brunch after the worship service, we join a Sunday school class. It may mean serving in places that stretch us, like in Sunday school or Vacation Bible School, or at the Santa Cruz Rescue Mission. It may be as simple as sitting on the other side of the sanctuary on Sunday morning. (Yikes!) Whatever it is, stretching ourselves, trying something new, can be painful at first, but the benefits can be well worth it. The amazing thing is that the next time it’s easier, too.
Care to go for a ride?