This photo goes with yesterday’s post.
Both were snapped at the top of US Hill in 2013 after a difficult climb from Taos, New Mexico. The climb consisted of a series of steep snaking turns, with no real bike lane. I think I’m smiling mostly because I managed not to get run over by any traffic.
You might wonder why someone would attempt something so insane. Honestly, partway up the hill, I was wondering the same thing. But – there was always that God inspired dream.
The dream to ride my bike and raise funds for kids. The dream to create a community around what we were doing, a community committed to Jesus, to each other, and to kids we would never meet.
I never imagined what it would become all these years later, but that’s the thing about following dreams – you end up in places you never imagined. But first, you have to do things you never imagined, things that seem crazy. As yesterday’s quote says:
If you never attempt what you have never done, one thing is certain:
it will never get done.
So, you crank a handcycle 1500 miles along the Mississippi River. You tell your story to 40 different groups when you’ve always been uncomfortable as a public speaker.
You decide to ride from Taos to Tucson, and Day 1 you’re confronted with an “impossible” climb. You could just skip it (who would know?) but that’s not part of the dream.
Thirteen years later, it’s tempting to back off, take it a little easier. But for me, anyway, that dream still beckons. Paraphrasing Jimmy Carter – I have one life and one chance to make it count. Jesus invites me to do what I can, where I am, with what I have – trusting him for the outcome – to make a difference.
BTW – I might not have been smiling if I had known about the descent, which was crazier than the climb. I’m not sure how I got to the bottom in one piece!
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