grace and the art of bicycle maintenance

it's been darned close to four months since i last uploaded something to a blog.

one word can explain this reality.

summer.

if you were looking for two words, here's the second.

bicycles.

for those of you out there in cyberland who don't know this; i enjoy this journey of faith we call "discipleship" and i often find insights to my relationship with Jesus while maintaining bicycles.

hence the title of this post.

now grace is often described as a "free gift from God."
this speaks of the forgiveness offered each person on this planet.
to say grace is undeserved is an understatement equivalent to saying bikes have good MPG ratings.

this grace thing goes contrary to our human way of doing things.

we like to earn our keep.

by now, you're probably wondering what the art of bicycle maintenance has to do with grace.

grace gets us going.
our relationship with Jesus is made right.

but what next?

i've been given more "free gifts" that have two wheels, a chain, some gears, pedals, brakes, handlebars, some rubber filled with air, and a goofy looking piece of steel holding it all together than my wife would want me to admit.
not all of these bikes are ready for riding to the grocery store much less pedaling to victory in the BOFRAF (Big Ol' Freakin' Race Around France a.k.a. Le Tour De France).

where most people see a pile of junk, i see potential for adventure.

that's the way it is with Jesus too, i'd argue.

our life is a mess, sin sucking into a sinkhole of hopelessness.
people around us stare.
but Jesus sees potential.

we accept the free gift of grace.
on our own little cloud we set our sights so high people actually think we are high.
some scripture quotations here, a francis chan shout out there, and we are off to the races.

but what next?

that rusty chain causes your gears to skip. a wobbly wheel didn't seem so bad in the garage, but with the wind in your face at 30 MPH, you feel a bit unstable. squeezing the brakes, you realize you don't really feel ready for this adventure. your tires pop and you're on the side of the road, deflated.

i'm afraid the western, postmodern faith sets people up for a bad crash in matters of faith.

we are all beat-up, broken down, bicycle type people.

as we "offer ourselves as a living sacrifice" to God we are responding to his grace.
he accepts us as a gift, just as we accepted his gift.

but what next?

is he immediately going to fix all our problems?
will we instantly be ready to rise to rooftop levels of sanctified success?
are we going to see great measures of growth overnight?

i don't think so.

scripture speaks of grace as a free gift but it also gives us a picture of a lifelong journey of faith.

second after second
minute after minute
hour after, hour
day after day
week after week
month after month
year after year
decade after decade
we are to turn our eyes from ourselves and look to Jesus.

we live in an instant culture where we can swipe a card, sign a name and get shiny new things.

fortunately, faith doesn't work like that.

in the same way i've become intimately acquainted with the squeaks and creaks, pieces and parts, history and future of many bikes this summer; Jesus and I have a newer relationship over time.

some consistent care, research here and there, and maybe (*gasp!) a helping hand from a more experienced friend will do wonders.
learning the correct tools, replacing the broken parts, and getting out of the garage into the wild world transforms both bikes and believers.

what is it in your day-to-day living that causes you to marvel at God's grace and this long journey of faith He wants to go one with you?