Lessons without Training Wheels
By: Pastor Bailey Miller
About a week ago, I found myself running up and down our local greenway alongside my four-year-old son. His training wheels had just come off and his little bike wobbled, legs pumping furiously while his confidence rose and fell with every pedal stroke.
And then it happened.
After several spills and more than a few scraped knees, he was slow getting up from one of his grass-side crashes. Tears filled his eyes as he said, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
This wasn’t a stroke of defiance or an effort to push me away. He found himself in the midst of something new, something hard. No matter how many warnings were given in the car of the forthcoming difficulty, he now found himself in the midst of it.
As I knelt down to his level, I gave him advice that applied just as much to me, and perhaps to all of us. I told him that learning to ride a bike requires strong legs, strong hands, a strong heart, and a strong mind. In much the same way, a faithful Christian life requires the very same things.
Strong Legs: Faithfulness in Daily Obedience
The stability of a bike ride begins with the power of the legs. Without steady, persistent pedaling, the bike simply doesn’t move forward and is prone to sway side to side, until it ends up on its side. There is no shortcut in this– you have to keep pedaling.
Speaking of persistent pedaling, christian faithfulness isn’t built in dramatic moments but in daily obedience. Scripture often speaks of our walk with God in such a way that reminds us that faith is lived step by step.
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
Strong legs are formed over time, both physically and spiritually. Speaking to the latter, necessary persistence is developed as we choose prayer when we’re tired, Scripture when we’re distracted, and obedience when it feels costly. In simpler terms, it is not the natural human inclination to keep pedalling when things get hard, let alone when the hill gets steep or the journey seems daunting.
Keep pedaling, and keep plodding. God is faithful to sustain, and there is grace on the other side of every scraped knee and every lesson learned.
Strong Hands: Holding Firm to Truth
As my son rode, his hands clenched the handlebars with white-knuckled determination. But when the first wobble would come, his group would falter and his arms would shake.
Strong hands on a bike provide direction and stability, and strong hands in the Christian life mean holding firmly to what is true while being steady under trial.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Faithfulness requires a firm grasp on God’s Word, especially when circumstances shake us. The troubles of life can bring their own troubles, each day’s sufficient for itself: changes in work, family, health, or plans. When the road feels unsteady and our arms begin to shake, we must cling not to our feelings but to God’s promises.
Strong hands don’t mean the absence of fear; they mean the right placement of trust not on our own understanding or might, but in God’s sovereignty and faithfulness.
Strong Heart: Courage to Keep Going
After each fall, my son’s biggest struggle wasn’t physical, but was emotional. The bike hadn’t beaten him; discouragement had and his heart needed strengthening.
The Christian life also demands courage. There are seasons when faith feels exhilarating, and others when it feels exhausting. To be frank, much of the Christian life and its beauty is found in what we would think to be mundane, but is actually rich soil of mercy. We stumble, fail, and can be prone to question whether it’s worth continuing.
Scripture speaks directly to this need:
“Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
A strong heart is not one that never feels afraid or weary. We are fickle after all and prone to wander. A strong heart is one that trusts God all the more in the midst of fear and weariness. The beginning of this strength of heart rests in the confessing of our weakness. Are you anxious, troubled, or burdened? Take it to the Lord in prayer.
As we begin a new year, some of us are carrying last year’s bruises or perhaps even those from years past. On the other hand, there may be those of you seeking a level of independence and trust of your own strength. God’s encouragement in either instance is not condemnation but presence and promise: come and die that you may live.
Strong Mind: Focus and Perspective
One of the most helpful things I could say to my son was simple: “Look ahead, not at the ground.” When he stared at his feet or the last place he fell, he wobbled. When he focused forward, balance followed.
Faithfulness requires a renewed mind that maintains a focus shaped by God’s truth rather than our fears or past failures. Not only this, but the christian life requires a mind that does not rest in the things or hollow promises of the world.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
A strong mind is one set on the things above, and the Father’s help ahead. If we find our mind wandering, let it be in God’s abundant promises. If we have trouble with our mind spinning, let it be because of the mystery of grace. If we find our mind tired, let it seek rest in our Father’s words to us.
In all of these things, Christians are called to fix their minds on Christ, trusting Him to direct their steps.
Faithfulness Is Learned on the Move
Eventually, my son rode. Certainly wobbly at first, then steadier, then smiling. Not because the road became easier, but because he became stronger. And as sure as the smiles came, tears would follow the nest fall.
Faithfulness works the same way. We don’t grow strong before we begin; we grow strong by continuing, and grow in holiness as we are refined.
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:1–2)
As this new year unfolds, may we embrace basic faithfulness: steady obedience, firm conviction, courageous hearts, and renewed minds. And when we fall, as we surely will, may we hear our Father’s voice encouraging us to get back up, reminding us that it is He who has begun the good work of faith and it is He that will see it through.
Keep pedaling. The strength will come.