After seven strenuous days of biking, camping, and conversation, we have come to a day of rest. Not that we have been in a state of unrest for the past week. In fact, my body and mind experience a sense of peace each time I get back on my bike, and I’m a bit antsy to begin biking on Tuesday. During our long days, we find rest under trees casting shade on the road; we rest to intentionally drink more water; we rest to allow the bikers behind to catch up and regroup; we rest to enjoy the scenery, to talk with locals, to refuel our bodies.

I recently read about the unrest in the Middle East. I pictured restless parents whose kids are serving in Israel’s military. I thought of restless Lebanese who face violence today. Why can’t the world rest?

We rest to allow turmoil, fatigue, lactic acid to exit our bodies. Yet, getting to a point of rest is not always easy. Several days ago I had a scary experience on a steep downhill. As I reached 40 mph, my bike suddenly began shaking uncontrollably, probably caused by a blowout in my back tire. My handlebars pitched back and forth as I battled to maintain control. I careened into the oncoming lane as two motorcycles were coming up the mountain around the bend. I managed to maneuver to the far left gravel shoulder to avoid the motorcycles, somehow staying up and getting back onto the road before crashing to the asphalt. Thankfully I escaped with nothing more than road rash and a broken helmet (“put on the helmet of salvation,” Ephesians). The next day I was ready to ride again, though I had acquired a fear of downhills. I felt out of control and helpless at each jostle of my handlebars. I kept reliving the moments of turmoil and fear, unable to find peace and rest, feeling paralyzed and frustrated. The last several days I have had to regain trust of my bike and confidence in myself.

I have talked with people who have lost trust in the church; at the same time, the church in many ways has lost trust in Jesus Christ. What are the things we fear, and how can we begin the difficult task of finding rest together in our God?

The church needs rest. We need rest not to withdraw from the scary downhills, but to ride them with care and confidence. We need rest to confront and comfort a restless world. Our rest means relaxation and activation; regrouping and refueling; enjoying the scenery and seeing the mountain ahead that we must climb. As Bike Movement travels, our days are not easy - it is hot and long, we get sweaty and sunburned, we feel tired and frustrated. Yet cool streams of joy and excitement continually refresh us, and at the end of a long day we are hydrated with accomplishment and thankfulness, having used our bodies to propel us toward the goal and vision of the church. Let our body – the body of Christ – find rest in God as we work in faith, labor in love, and endure in hope.

~Timothy

Posted by Timothy Shenk

This entry was posted on Monday, July 17th, 2006 at 8:29 pm and is filed under Trip06. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.