Every Mile Makes a Difference

Everyone else has written about the details of our journey and all the crazy things we have seen, like dead mountain lions, a man driving a horse and covered wagon down the Hwy, and Josie the Bear, so I thought I would write something a little different.

I've been thinking a lot lately about my purpose here and about life in general. One of my greatest fears is that I will one day look back on my life and realize that I did not live to my fullest potential in fulfilling God's will for me to make a difference for His Kingdom by loving people, performing acts of caring and compassion, serving others, praying for those who need prayer, and basically doing things that aren't focused on bettering myself. I desperately want to serve God and do anything I can to share His love with others so they may come to know and trust God as their personal Lord and Savior and receive eternal salvation. I want to use the skills, gifts, and passions that God has given me to glorify him. That is why I joined the Ride:Well team. I can use my athletic gifts to bike across the country and help people in need. Seeing the pictures and videos and hearing the stories of all the people in Kenya who don't even have access to clean water breaks my heart. I will do anything I can to help them and one day I hope to go over there and serve them in person. But, even more importantly than giving them clean blood and water, I want them to all know that Christ died for their sins. I pray daily that I don't take this summer for granted, just enjoying the ride, fun, and friends, but that I can make an eternal difference in someone's life each and every day. God brought me here for a reason and I pray that I am willing, open, and listening to His will and that I will have the courage to follow the path he sets before me. We never know what day is our last. Every conversation and moment we have with other people is important and significant.

How can riding my bicycle across the US for 2 months actually help someone? This is the question I have been pondering. This is what I came up with: Day after day I fight through sore muscles, stiff legs, verrrry sore glutes, intense heat, huge hills, dehydration, extreme hunger, and all sorts of mental challenges as I ride through long stretches of isolated roads in the desert, up and over mountains, and even through the Valley of Fire. Nobody would know if I just gave up one day and decided to rest in the van. Sure I might miss a few miles on the bike but it would feel soooo great to pass a few miles up a mountain in a nice air conditioned vehicle. But, that would be a selfish and perhaps prideful thing to do. God called me to this trip for a reason. He wants me to ride my bicycle across the country spreading the word about Blood:Water Mission and salvation through Jesus Christ. If I get off my bike because I am tired or sore or some other excuse other than being in a coma or having a broken leg or coccyx or some other debilitating problem that God brings about to tell me that I need to be in the van that day and serve in another way, then I am not fulfilling my purpose here.

Every mile that I ride is an opportunity to pray, develop stronger bonds with my teammates, encourage others, meet strangers and tell them about Ride:Well/Blood:Water/Jesus, meditate and reflect on what the Lord is telling me and wanting me to learn on this trip. People didn't donate all that money so I could sit in a van and drive across the desert in air conditioning like most every other person in the country does. No, I am called to be different. I am to experience hardships, trials and tribulations, thirst, hunger, pain, and much more so I can relate to those who I am serving, people in Marsabit, Kenya, who walk 20 miles everyday just to get dirty water. Who ever gained anything from taking the easy way out, being lazy, or avoiding challenges? Somebody might have, but the greatest and most worthwhile achievements are obtained only through enduring tough situations that challenge your body, soul, and mind. A lot is to be learned through this kind of endurance. It also teaches us to rely on God more for our strength, realizing that every one of us is eternally weak, human, and we have no strength on our own. Everything we take for granted and pride ourselves on was given to us by our creator. I am nothing on my own.

Oftentimes I will think about how my training helped me prepare for this and how my own metal toughness gets me through the hard days, and even how I go to extreme lengths to take care of my body through rest, hydration, and healthy eating habits. These are all good things, but they are all given to me by God and even those things by themselves are not enough. God is the one who provides me with ounce of strength, every muscle needed to push the pedal and turn the crank, and every thought needed to push myself to keep going. He alone is to be glorified through my endeavors. May God use me to fulfill his purpose this summer. Every mile WILL make a difference!!! Ride:Well, Pray:Well my friends.