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Wisconsin summer days are fleeting. Keenly aware of this reality and determined to savor a warm, nearly perfect day recently, I loaded “Ruby,” my fast bike with skinny tires, onto my bike rack and drove to a nearby trail.
As I joyfully and rhythmically pedaled my bike, I was inundated by the constant wafting of rich earthy smells and late summer beauty all around me. I wore one earbud through which I streamed my “A-List” of Spotify songs. I pedaled on and on, up and down a paved bike trail soaking up the glorious splendor of summer, enjoying an activity that makes me very happy indeed. ‘Heavenly’ begins to describe it.
That day’s song list was a compilation of many hours of my favorite music. I hear and sing these songs often. So it surprised me when words from a beloved song struck me in such a way I had to dismount my bike and rewind the song to hear this lyric again:
“I won’t fear my story’s end ‘cause the Author is my friend.”
Some of you know that my body was broken for years on end. For almost a decade I didn’t know if Ruby and I would ever ride again. At several hard junctures, I was fearful about how my story would end.
Now being able to pedal through breathtakingly glorious creation in minimal pain, my response was to worship God.
I put that song on repeat and listened to it again and again. I pondered the kindness of Jesus. I savored the sweet security of knowing God as Father. My heart was warmed by two truths of God’s Word that have become precious cornerstones of my faith: I am held fast by Jesus, and the Lord hems me in by going before and behind me. In every step (and every pedal) along the way, He never leaves our side. The Author of our stories is our Friend indeed.
Whatever comes tomorrow, beauty or sorrow
I know when I look back, I’ll see
That the good times and the hard times were the best times I
ever had
Cause You were beside me, above and behind me
Lovingly leading me home
Every step along the way
I know You’ll never leave my side
Whatever the season I can say
These are the best days of my life
-Jason Gray, song lyrics from The Best Days of My Life