Keep Pedaling

This weekend we celebrate Father's Day. Although my father has already passed on, it still is a day to honor and remember. I don't have to buy a Father's Day card, but in my silence and meditation, I remember my father with warm thoughts.

Perhaps I didn't have the best relationship with my father, but what I do remember, they were good memories, for the most part. When I was younger, he was a hard-working dad. And when he was selling life insurance, he was away from home a lot. When he was selling automobiles, he always had transportation for the family, especially when we took our family trips. I remember those trips to Hollywood, Disneyland and San Diego.

When I was in college, we had a personalized fortune cookie business, mostly providing advertisement fortune cookies for restaurants in the Bay Area (we also did personalized messages for mail order). I remember driving around delivering fortune cookies with him. That was time spent with him.

When he was stricken with his cerebellar degenerative ataxia (a fancy medical term for him falling down and eventually losing motor function), I had to take care of him. So in the later years, I was able to spend more time with him. And at those times were frustrating because of his disease. I was already changing his diapers before I had (or have to) change baby diapers.

But this week, K-Love radio was talking about what your dad taught you, growing up. I suppose I could say he taught me how to eat. That was one of our common interests, eating out. He taught me to use paper towel to open the restroom door after washing your hands. In this germ-infested culture, that one's good. But I guess the most profound lesson he taught me was how to ride a bike: keep pedaling! That was one of my fondest memories of my dad, when he taught me how to ride a bike. I will never forget it.

And as a life lesson, it is a good reminder to keep pedaling. We run into obstacles, hit hills and valleys, gets stalled by others along our path. We cannot let these things stop us from getting on towards our destination, wherever God leads us.

And oftentimes, we do not know where God is leading us. We have to be in tune with our Heavenly Father, who will guide us and give us direction, through the Holy Spirit.

I may not have my biological father here with me anymore, but my Heavenly Father is always with me. I may stray away from Him, but He is always with me. He is our ultimate Father.

Have you gotten to know your Heavenly Father? If not, He is just a prayer away: "Heavenly Father, I ask You to come into my life. Please show me Your glory, and lead me where You want me to be. Forgive me for my past sins, cleanse me from those sins, and show me what You want me to do. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Once you've accepted God into your life, don't stop. Get into a good Bible believing church, have regular fellowship with other believers and life-journeyers. And keep pedaling!

Blessings,
Garret