Our son has done the 200 miles bike ride from Seattle to Portland at least twice, once with a son and another time with a daughter - both times with people from their church congregation. The ride is a tradition for some members of their congregation.
One year their journey had many similarities to the journey we make through life. Our prayers for them over the two days mirrored, in a small way, prayers we have for our family and friends and the prayers our Heavenly Parents have for us as we go through our journeys here on earth. Their ride started in the rain – a heavy rain. As parents, we hope none of our children have to go through too many “rainstorms.” When a storm does appear in their lives, we pray for protection and safety as they navigate the tough times. On long journeys, and life is certainly a long journey if we’re fortunate, we delight in the stretches of sunny hours and smooth roads. When the journey is seeming to be long, we pray that legs don’t cramp and that bodies, minds, and spirits are up to the exertion that’s required for the journey.
Although we want sunshine and no hills and no accidents for all of our children on their journeys, we also know, from our own journeys, that life just doesn’t go that way all the time. We also know we can learn invaluable lessons from the rough patches of our lives. Just as our son and grandchildren trained for their rides, all of us have choices about how well we prepare ourselves and consistently train for this journey through earth life.
One year their journey had many similarities to the journey we make through life. Our prayers for them over the two days mirrored, in a small way, prayers we have for our family and friends and the prayers our Heavenly Parents have for us as we go through our journeys here on earth. Their ride started in the rain – a heavy rain. As parents, we hope none of our children have to go through too many “rainstorms.” When a storm does appear in their lives, we pray for protection and safety as they navigate the tough times. On long journeys, and life is certainly a long journey if we’re fortunate, we delight in the stretches of sunny hours and smooth roads. When the journey is seeming to be long, we pray that legs don’t cramp and that bodies, minds, and spirits are up to the exertion that’s required for the journey.
Although we want sunshine and no hills and no accidents for all of our children on their journeys, we also know, from our own journeys, that life just doesn’t go that way all the time. We also know we can learn invaluable lessons from the rough patches of our lives. Just as our son and grandchildren trained for their rides, all of us have choices about how well we prepare ourselves and consistently train for this journey through earth life.
Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are the best coaches we can have – and the scriptures are one of the most useful training manuals ever.
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