The First Bicycle (Matthew 7:11)

Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323728204578517451345634138

There is something special about receiving your first bicycle. I don’t mean the first bicycle with training wheels, I mean your first real bicycle. For me, it was the 1973 Schwinn Orange Krate Sting Ray.

It was a slick beast and the envy of the neighborhood. I didn’t ask my father to get this bike but when we walked into the store, he went straight to this bike and said, “What about this one?” I was floored since I didn’t expect him to offer to buy me the most expensive bike in the shop! And it was THE bike that I wanted! I loved that bike and wished I kept it. Apparently, I am not the only one because in 2013, Schwinn reissued this bike as a special 50th anniversary edition!

So, it was with great excitement that I recently went to a bicycle shop with my son to purchase his first real bicycle. He had quickly outgrown the starter bike he had for three years. Now he was ready for a full size bicycle. We looked at a variety of bikes until we found a beautiful cruiser bike, perfect for his style of riding. I loved it too and thought to myself that when he is not riding it, I will!

Buying the first bicycle is a special shared experience between father and son. I never asked my father but I think he was more excited than I was when he purchased the bicycle for me since he never had a new bike of his own, only hand me downs. He wanted to make sure that I was able to experience what he did not. Now, I was proud to share this experience with my son. The grin on my son’s face as he pedaled away made me beam and fondly remember my father’s happiness.

As parents, we seek to give our children the opportunities that we had or did not have. It is never a sacrifice when we chose to do this because we love them. It reminds me of the desire for God to bless us, His children.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:11 (ESV)

My father blessed me with a gift beyond anything I thought I could ask. God blesses His children with an abundant life and He blesses us exceeding abundantly beyond anything we could think or ask!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.