This week I was honored with an invitation to ride a few miles with the Colorado leg of the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride. This event salutes first responders, especially emergency medical personnel, who sacrificed in the line of duty.
As we began riding, the route was lined with fire trucks, ambulances, and an honor guard. Everyone wanted to watch and pay tribute to fallen comrades. The scene reminded me of these words:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)
A cloud of witnesses means you’re not alone. You’re in a community, part of a team, involved in something bigger than yourself. You give a little more because it’s not just about you.
A couple of miles later the road narrowed for a bridge. From behind I heard the motorcycle escort shout, “Go ahead. I’ve got your back.”
That’s the other cool thing about being surrounded by a team. As part of a community you can lean on others when things get tough.
I think about that verse a lot when we’re preparing for another tour. There’s always something comforting to me about the notion of being surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.
Each time we begin, Becky and I experience a sense that we’re part of something much bigger than the two of us and a goofy dog. An entire circle of supporters has joined the RICH’S RIDE team. We feel lifted up and carried along in a way that’s unexplainable yet very real. When I crank down some lonely, unfamiliar road I can almost feel my “cloud of witnesses” urging me on.
We’ll begin Front Range FREEDOM Tour on Saturday. During the next week, eleven of us will tour Colorado’s Front Range communities from Cheyenne, Wyoming to the New Mexico border south of Trinidad.
As leaders of the tour, Becky and I will be busy, so this blog is taking a one-week break. I hope you’ll follow the tour by subscribing to the RICH’S RIDE blog.
You’re an important part of the cloud of witnesses that keeps us going. I’m grateful.
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