Just Keep Pedaling

“Then Jesus asked, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.’” (Luke 13:18-19 NIV)

The first time I went for physical therapy after my knee replacement surgery in May, the therapist had me get on a stationary bike.  At that point, my range of motion didn’t allow me to pedal a full circle.  I just went slightly forward and then back.  I returned two days later and did the same thing.  A little forward, and then back.  A little forward, and then back. After a few minutes, suddenly the pedals completed a rotation!  It was a major accomplishment on my road to recovery.

From then on, I began spending more time on the bike.  For the first couple of weeks, I couldn’t pedal fast enough to turn on the machine.  I was pedaling in full circles, but hardly fast enough for the bike to light up and ask, “Are you ready for your workout?”  To be honest, it was a little embarrassing amongst all the people around me pouring sweat and working at levels 10 and above on their machines.  I couldn’t even get mine to turn on!

While it was frustrating, my efforts were not in vain.  In those times of pedaling so slowly, I was still building strength.  It was imperceptible at first, but as I went along the speed of my pedaling increased—10 rpms, then 20, 30, and, finally, at 40 the machine lit up and stayed on!  And as my speed increased, so did my stamina.  I am now doing 30 minutes at an average of 80 rpms with one-minute sprints of 100+ rpms mixed in.  

My recovery process has taught me much about faith.  Jesus says faith is like a mustard seed (Luke 17:6). When it is planted in our lives, it may not seem like much is going on.  We look around at people who demonstrate great faith and we feel embarrassed at how small ours is, and may think we could never have such faith.  But if we nurture it with obedience, the little faith we had when we first turned control of our lives over to Jesus will grow into a strong faith unmoved by the trials of this world.  It is the small steps that lead to great things.  

If you feel like your faith is such that it can’t even turn on the machine, don’t be discouraged.  Just keep pedaling!  Be obedient to the Lord in those little things of life, like turning your eyes away from the scantily dressed woman rather than lusting after her; refusing to join in on the gossip among your friends; risking ridicule by choosing to read your Bible or pray in public; choosing at the prompting of the Lord to give the $20 you intended to spend on yourself to support a missionary or someone in need.  These are the little steps of faith that can lead to much greater faith later on.  

Today, know that the Lord can grow your faith into something large and significant.  It may begin very slowly, but in time it will grow if you just keep pedaling. 

© Jim Musser 2014