The Bike Ride
It’s the last day of 2025 and as I scrolled through my hearted favorite photos of the year, it was hard to choose one to sum up the past 12 months.
This image of the bike ride I did with my dad for 25 miles in the Honolulu Century Bike Ride, ended up being the photo of the year. This was the moment just after pushing up the hardest hill and even walking my bike to get to the top, just in time of the race time cut off before they opened back up this road with the scenic view.
This was an iconic moment for me because it represented my commitment to myself and that hard work paid off. I was proud that after another year of 4x a week of strength training, I could physically ride my bike up. That after a year of “trying hard things one at a time,” I mentally got myself to sign up and do this big bike ride. And the best part was making the time for the relationship that mattered….that I was getting to share this moment with my dad. Someone I deeply love and used to ride bike with when I was little. I don’t know how much more time I have with him, though he showed me on this ride that he could have gone 50 miles and I was the one ready to turn around at the half way point up ahead. :p Riding with him next and often times ahead of me, encouraged me that my Father was with me.
It reminded me that at some points in our journey, we are on the uphill climb. We may want to quit and time is right at our backs. We may have to get off and walk our bike to get through it. And sometimes, we are at the top catching our breath and getting a moment to see clearly everything ahead and the hill we climbed behind us.
Wherever we find ourselves at the end of this year, I think Our Heavenly Father wants us to remember that He wants to be on this ride with us. That He is with us on the uphill climb and He wants to be with us when we are at the top too. He can help us on whatever ride we are on if we allow Him to hold the handle bars.
What bike ride are you on?
Wherever we are on our journey, we can find peace by piece by inviting God to ride with us and letting Him steer too.
“Have I not commanded you? 'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9