One of my hobbies is riding my road bike. Kinda like Lance Armstrong, just not as far nor as fast. Since moving from Simi Valley to Long Beach this past August, I’ve put to good use the bike paths that follow the LA river to and from the ocean. I didn’t have much going on yesterday, so I took my 18lbs of two wheeled freedom out for a ride.
The bike paths that follow the river have been constructed to go under each cross street, which is great since you never have to stop, AND you get a small 20 foot slope to speed down and another one to climb up every half mile which somewhat breaks up the monotony of the otherwise flat ride. About 30 minutes into my ride I was climbing back up one of these 20 foot slopes and came face to face with a 13′ tall 20 ton clean up truck straddling the entire width of the bike path. Without a thought I squeezed my brakes and skidded to a stop. I stood there in the stillness of the moment gazing at this huge truck. I couldn’t go around it, I couldn’t move it, and I definitely couldn’t go through it. So I stood and stared. It was then I saw a guy walk around from behind the truck. He noticed me and raised his hand to show me his gloved palm. I wasn’t sure what he meant but he began to move tools aside which cleared an opening on the shoulder of the bike path. He smiled and waved me through. I proceeded slowly and had soon left the truck and man behind me.
For the rest of the ride I couldn’t stop thinking about my experience with the truck. I thought of how when face to face with the truck, there was no question in my mind that I was the less powerful than the truck and it created in me a sense of respect that I wouldn’t necessarily have for something like a Hot Wheels car. I loved Hot Wheels cars growing up, not just because they were little pieces of metallic coolness, but I made them do what I wanted them to do. I was in control of where my Hot Wheels were going, how fast they were tearing down the road, or which ramp they were going to use to fly across the living room while I watched The Dukes of Hazard on TV. That clean up truck, on the other hand, had more control over me than I did of it. Not only did I respect it, but for a few moments found myself in awe of its size and power; the very qualities I humbly respected.
Then I started thinking about God. How much more respect and awe does He deserve than a huge clean up truck? When was the last time that I was truly in awe of who He was? How are the ways that I don’t show him the respect that He so rightly deserves? It’s hard for me to keep God in His rightful place in my mind. I notice that He starts becoming more and more like a Hot Wheels car, that I can pull out of my toy box and play with at my leisure. I need to take time daily to meditate on what the Bible says about Him. I need to daily recapture that awe and respect of who He is and grow in them. I know that at the top of that 20 foot slope I had come face to face with that Almighty God, I wouldn’t have simply stopped and looked for a few seconds. For the first time in my life, I would have known what incomprehensible awe felt like. I want to know the true majesty of God and live my life in the wake of His glory.
