Pikes Peak (America's Mountain) and the Garden of the Gods are just a part of the glory of living in Colorado Springs. Both remind us of the beauty of creation and the power of God in the world. "I lift my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come...my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth."
When it comes to riding up a significant hill on a bicycle ... we all pray for energy, endurance, and (best of all) a tail wind!
We will get to the joy and struggle of wind later. Right now let's talk about hills, big hills! In life there are hills. Some times they come in the shape of relationships that end up in conflict. In some situations the hill is beyond our control ... like an illness from out of the blue or a death that arrives without rhyme or reason. Hills happen. So how do we expereince the hill?
For me the lesson from the saddle revolves around the reality that every good hill has the joy of a great downhill run!
This week a friend and I will ride from Colorado Springs to Woodland Park up Ute Pass. If you have never been up Ute Pass you need to know that it is a 2400 foot climb that rolls out over about 20 miles. It can be a challenge. In fact, it is a challenge!
But here is the good news...we are also going to reverse the ride and spend almost 20 miles going downhill. That will be a joy! As a result, the uphill climb is always worth the downhill run.
In the church (and in all of life) the key is found in Romans 8:28 and Genesis 50:20. You might want to read those two passages to find the link. In the end, every struggle, every bad break, each painful journey ... has a downhill run where God chooses to demonstrate that all things work for good in one way or another.
It is a lesson we all need to learn. Climb the hill knowing that there is a downhill blessing on the way. Don't get caught thinking that the hill has the last word!
Gear up and go for it!
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