As a kid one year for my birthday my parents got me a new shiny royal blue bike, or so I thought. Come to find out it wasn’t so new. One morning while my mom was taking her walk she found an old bike frame in the neighbors trash and rescued it. My parents slapped on some new tires and breaks, painted the frame blue and attached a Cheerio Box racing emblem on the front. The bike looked like a million bucks!

Some kids might have been upset upon finding out that their bike was just some old rebuilt relic, but not me! I loved that bike! To me it was perfect and new. I felt like a king atop my racing machine. I zoomed up and down the road, through the leaves, snow and sunshine. It was my bike and it was special to me.

Down in the Dump

Sometimes in life we find ourselves feeling less than perfect. Our downfalls and sinful nature leave us feeling like an old bike frame in a trash bin, hoping someone will rescue us and fix us up. We literally feel down in the dumps and sometimes it seems like we’ll never get back on our feet again. But then God shows up, grabs us out of the dump and dusts us off. He forgives us, paints our hearts white as snow and puts us back in the game of life.

When times get tough in my life and I begin to question whether or not I can make it through, I always think back on my shiny blue bike and the way that the rest of the world with all it’s worries just seemed to melt away as I rode thru the wind.

In our time of need, God will be there for us, always ready and willing to give us a new coat of paint and a fresh start.

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).