By Ben Girdler
1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4.
The little screen in front of me reads 84 RPM. My mind and legs settle on that cadence.
1,2,3,4, 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4.
My mind and body are now fixed on this count, this rhythm; it is cathartic. In this rhythm, all seems right.
There is no work, no school, no sickness, nothing but the road and the rhythm of the pedals. I feel as though I could do this forever.
Of course, my legs dont agree with my mind on that point yet, but I think they will.
Sometimes life seems as if its rhythm is like the dancing flame of a fire. No pattern, no predictability, nothing to help anticipate its next move. I can find rhythm on my bike fairly easily, yet more often than not that same rhythm escapes me in most every other aspect of life.
I like rhythm. On my bike a good rhythm keeps me going for a long distance. It allows me tackle hills and descents, flats and turns. Yet part of me thinks that were I to find a good rhythm in life (whatever that actually means) then my life would be useless for the sake of Christ.
Does God really want someone who knows what each day, week, month, year will bring? Certainly not! He wants us to be ready to do His hearts desires and follow after Him. More often than not, at least in my experiences, that means a disruption to my regularly scheduled life.
I like knowing that Monday is guys group, Tuesday is Danns etc., etc. That schedule, especially Tuesday nights, helps to keep me sane and moving forward in life.
But I also know that to be most useful to the Kingdom I must be flexible. The more I think about it the more I believe that there is a rhythm to being a follower of Jesus. It is not the usual rhythm of the same predictable thing time in and time out. It is a rhythm of growing closer to God, working on that relationship.
I cant say with any certainty what tomorrow will hold, but I can say with absolute certainty that God does know and I will do my best to have my relationship with Him be one that is open to follow His leading.
The rhythm comes in my spiritual walk, developing some life skills that I put into practice on a regular basis that grow me closer to Christ, things like prayer, quiet times, fellowship with other believers, reading the Bible. If I can make these things a part of my lifes rhythm then I am on the right track. That is the rhythm that will get me up the steep climbs and through the long rides. Not a set schedule of things I do, but a life of regularly and consistently chasing after God and the Son.
That is the rhythm of life as it should be.
If you liked this article, check out: Hard to Get Out of Bed
Ben lives in Tucson, AZ studying sociology and writing. He even works full time when it doesnt interfere with writing the stories God puts on his heart to share with the world.