Who will you listen to?

My husband and I visited three bike shops this week.  I am looking for a new bike.  A year ago I began to bike and fell in love with it.  Currently I have a mountain bike that is great for short rides and is very durable.  A good friend of mine recently lent me her old road bike to try out.  Road bikes are lighter, usually have more gears and have very thin tires. From the moment that I began to ride this bike I knew that soon my husband and I would be visiting bike shops.  Let me explain.  There is a hill close to our house that I often ride on. When I rode my mountain bike, I would huff and puff as I tried to go up it to get to the Kent trails.  Let's just say that I was winded! 

The first time up that hill on the road bike, no huff, no puff just smooth riding! Enough said!

We started our bike comparison shopping at a well known shop in Grand Rapids. 

Store #1 had bikes hanging from the ceiling, on the floor and people were buzzing in this place.  A man wearing an army fatigue hat, shorts and trail shoes approached us and asked if we needed help.  After two seconds of talking he whisked us to his favorite brand of bike, The Diamondback.  "I sold my car, I love this brand!  This will be a great bike for what you are doing.", he proclaimed. He also told us that his favorite pedal was a toe clip because he had seen too many people fall using clip ins.

Store #2 was also a reputable place and had been suggested to us by friends.  We were greeted by a very clean and organized store and shown to the women's bikes.  A young man came and told us lots of information about the bikes and then asked how much biking I did.  He also pointed us to his favorite the Trek bike.  After comparing it's features to other bikes, including the Diamondback,  He suggested that I ride it.  When discussing shoes and pedals he was sure to describe the benefits of clip ins.

I was getting confused!  Who should I listen too?

Store #3 had bikes, fitness equipment and a fitting station. We were greeted by a biking enthusiast and promptly told that he would prefer NOT to sell us a bike until I was evaluated for a perfect fit.  He explained why and it seemed to make sense.   This store sells, Giant and Specialized bikes. He also recommended the clip ins but not until after we knew which were right for me. 

Three stores, three opinions who do I listen too??

If you have any ideas please forward them my way!  It occurred to me as we went through this process that we do this when we are trying to make decisions.

Scripture tells us that we should seek wisdom and that wisdom comes from God.

James says if any man lacks wisdom he should ask God.

Why do we look elsewhere?
  
I know that it seems faster to ask others or to google it than to wait for the answer from God.  It is often my way of rushing and keeping in control of things.  I want what I want.  Sad but true. 

This situation reminds me of Galatians 5:25 keep in step with the Spirit.

I am giving this question to God.  He will direct my steps.

Where do you need His wisdom and direction today?

Father,

Thank you for your patience with me.  Daily I am reminded that I have much to learn. Guide this decision and give us the knowledge to make the right one.  I praise you for your wisdom and graciousness.

                                                                                  Jann

He gives me strength!

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

 Never has this verse meant so much to me.  I signed up to complete a 36 mile bike ride with a friend.  I have only rode 25 miles before so this was going to be a stretch for me. 

A few days before the ride I began to doubt my ability to complete the ride.

My stomach was in knots and I began the dreadful self-talk that went like this. "What if you can't finish?", "How will you feel if your friend has to wait for you all the time?" , "You don't actually think that you can make it up all of those hills, do you?" I was a mess inside and my digestive system kept reminding me that I was really nervous! 

I had prepared for the race by increasing the number of rides that I had completed that week and even had worked on some hills to increase my endurance, yet I still had doubts. Would I finish? The day of the race came and as we signed in I realized that I was in the midst of some hardcore cyclists.  They looked the part with everything cycling. From head to toe they were dressed for cycling success and their top of the line road bikes shined with determination and brilliance.  I had part of the outfit completed, but my bike is a Schwinn sidewinder which is a mountain bike. From the beginning I knew that this might not be pretty and now I was sure of it.

 I am blessed to have a friend Catherine who is a seasoned rider and has for whatever reason seen to have pity on me and has taken me under her cycling wing. 

The ride began and I was feeling great until we reached our first hill. I was holding my own, changing gears and pedaling to the top.  As I was pedaling in first gear it seemed as though thousands of cyclists just whizzed by me.  I have to admit that I said some bad things as they effortlessly went by.  This happened over and over during the ride.  People who had more experience, more muscles and endurance and better bikes passed me by and left me in well, their dust!

the ride was actually wonderful and I learned alot about myself and how to improve in this new cycling world.  When times got hard I began to sing praise songs! 

I am sure people thought that this struggling cyclists had gone one mile too far and that her brain was fried, but I didn't care.

 As I sang I felt the weight of the ride lifted from me.  He who is able brought me through! Towards the end of the ride I was done, I really did not know where the energy was going to come from! My back hurt, my shoulders were on fire and I was exhausted! In front of me were several hills that stood between me and the finish line! All of a sudden Philippians 4:13 came into my mind and I began singing, " I can do all things, I can do all things, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!"  I was glad that this is how the race ended with thoughts of Christ leading and guiding, going before me and sustaining me!

The reality is that I can't do much without Christ!  This verse has new significance for me today! the impossible is possible because of who Christ is!  The real question is if we will trust Him enough to be our sustainer our life giver!

Jesus, thank you for carrying me when I couldn't move. I praise you for showing me in a tangible way that all things are possible if we will put our trust in you! Your strength and yours alone is to be praised!

I love you!  Jann

The nail polish fiasco!

“I look good!” I thought, as I checked myself out in the long mirror in the hallway. I even had time to do my toenails this morning since it is finally warm enough to wear a skirt and open toe sandals on a Sunday morning. The morning started off great and I was looking forward to co-hosting a new service with my husband. “All the more reason to look the part today”, I was thinking as we went to church.

There is just something about feeling good in an outfit that gives me a little bit of a sassy attitude. I feel more in control! That is until………I was following my husband and he stopped and then suddenly backed up right onto my two newly painted big toes! The polish wasn’t completely dry and all of my hopes and dreams of looking the part of one well put together woman was well (out the window)!! The polish literally backed up like it had skid marks on it. To make it worse the color was a deep magenta and now it simply looked like a bloody mess! I have to admit that I panicked, and almost started to cry!

What just happened? I declared with a scowl, “I’m going home to repaint them before the service!”

My husband looked at me like I was insane! Maybe I was for just a moment! Then I had a brilliant idea to find something that would take off the polish. Naked toes were better than what I currently had. Finding nail polish remover in a church office is not an easy task, I searched everywhere but all I could find was white board cleaner. For whatever reason, it worked enough to clean up my toes. This wasn’t exactly the look I was going for but, it is what I ended up with! My husband asked me later why this was such a big deal, “No one was looking at your toes!” To that I whimpered, “But. I would’ve known!”

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Luke 10:39-41

Oh, what a Martha I am! I want everyone to think of me as the one who is chosen what is better, but I am constantly fighting with this side of myself! God speaks to me in the midst of my pridefulness and my desire to be in-control.

Forever nail polish will remind me that He is the one that I should be trying to please. That He is the one who knows all of my thoughts and supplies all of my needs. He can use me whenever and however He likes. All He requires is a willing and obedient heart.

Father, thank you for speaking in the midst of my craziness and pride. I am humbled by your deep love and grace that you so freely give. I love how you use nail polish to teach me that you are all I need.

Jann