Training Wheels

One sunny Saturday morning, little 7 year old Victoria and her dad was spending time together watching cartoons in the family room. As the cartoons ended, Victoria axiously asks her father, "Daddy, what are we going to do today?" with her eyes so bright, daddy can see the glow and expectation of his face in them, he says to her,? "Sweetpea, today, I'm going to take off your training wheels and teach you how to ride a bike. "Victoria's smile turned upside down and she says frighteningly, "B...Bu...But I don't think I'm ready." Daddy's idea did not sound like the other fun-filled, exciting ideas they normally did on when they spent time together Saturdays. She thought of the other times when they went to the park and the carnival and the circus, and the other great adventurous things they did together and thought to her self, she will never be able to do those things again because she would be in a cast from trying to learn how to ride a bike. Victoria sadly looks at daddy and say's, " I'm not ready." Daddy looks at her and says, "Yes you are, I will be right there with you the whole time. "So Daddy tells, his little girl to run upstairs to get her safety equipment and meet him back downstairs. Little Victoria slowly makes it upstairs. Worried about what might happen, she contemplates, "What if I fall? What if I don't get it the first time, What if I never learn to ride a bike?" She is shaken while she puts on her safety helmet and pads. Daddy calls out to her, "Sweetpea, It's time, are you almost ready?" She comes down the stairs slowly and looks at him as if this was her last time she was going to see him and walk down those stairs. Daddy patiently waits for her with a smile on his face and says, "Take my hand, I'm right here with you." tears starts to fall from her cheerless eyes. Daddy holds her hand and she holds his tighter.

What she doesn't know is that Daddy is holding back his tears as well. He wishes, he didn't have to put her on he bike. He wishes that he would just protect her forever and hold her in his arms, but he knows that he has to teach her to ride on her own.

They slowly walk to the bike and Victoria is watching daddy remove the training wheels. She is shaken with fear. After daddy removes the training wheels, he checks the bike to make sure it is safe and stable. He calls her over to the bike. "Come here sweetpea," he says. She stiffly walks towards him with her eyes closed. She cries, "Daddy, I can't do it!"

Oh how daddy wishes he could just pick her up into his arms and say, "ok, you don't have to" but instead he says, "Yes you can." She cries, "what if I fall?" Daddy says, "I will pick you up." Still holding back his tears, daddy gently places his shaken little girl on the bike. He can feel her heart beating fast as he hold her up on the bike. Sill holding back tears daddy whispers in his little girl's ear, "I'm not going to let you go until I know you are ready ok." She nods in agreement. "Ok."

He holds her steady on her bike and starts her off slowly pushing her. She wobbles and falls…Victoria was angry, frustrated and afraid…She gets off of the bike and runs away from her dad. Daddy calls her back and she just runs to hide in her room in the closet. She screams out to her dad, "You said, you wern't gpong to let me go! I'm never going to learn how to ride on my own.

Later on that day, Dad went up to comfort little Victoria. He convinced her that he would catch her if she fell and that he wanted her to trust him. She came out of her closet and went back out side to try again.

The father started to push her again, she wobbles and he catches her as she starts to fall. While he is doing this, he says to her, "That's it, you almost got it! you can do it!" She says, "Daddy! don't let me go!" He said, "not until I know you are ready. So they try it again a few more times and she wobbles, and even falls a few more times. But every time she fell, He would run to catch her, wipe her off and tell her to try again. They did this over and over again. The more they did it, the better she rode and the faster he was able to push her. In excitement, the little girl says, "Daddy! we are riding a bike with no training wheels!" Daddy replies, "Yes we are sweetie! Now, I want you to do it on your own. I am going to watch you."

The little girl says,in fear "Daddy, I don't think I'm ready." Daddy say's to her, "I have shown you what to do, you can do it. I am right here with you." So daddy starts her off on her bike again, and whispers in her ear, "Remember what I told you, I am right here with you." He pushes her and she wobbles and fall. He watches at a short distance wanting to run after her, but instead he says, "It's ok, wipe yourself off, get up and try again." She does it over and over again and Daddy watches her and tells her again, "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. "He reassures her, "I am right here, you can do it!"

So he starts her off on her bike again. He pushes her and she takes control of the bike and is now riding on her own. Daddy proudly yells, " I knew you could do it!" He calls her to ride back toward him. As he is watching his little girl ride back to him, he is watching the joy and confidence in her eyes. She yells, "Daddy I did it! I rode my bike on my own! I didn't fall! Did you see?!" Daddy, overwhelmed with joy says, "I saw every bit of it, and I am proud of you. " He picks up his little girl, and hold her in his arms as if he never wanted to let her go again. She rides the bike over and over again. Dad proudly watches her saying, "See, I told you, you could ride on your own."


I think of Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2, when Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," Elisha replied, "but do not speak of it." They went on their journey.

Again, Elijah says to Elisha, stay here, The Lord has sent me to Jericho. Elisha said No! As surely as the Lord lives and you live, I will not leave you! The company of prophets from Jericho then approached him and said… "Do you know the Lord is taking your master from you today… Elisha said, "Don't speak of it!"

And another time, Elijah Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two of them walked on.

When it was evident to Elisha that the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not. "As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Elisha was afraid, frustrated and angry with God for taking Elijah away. He screamed out, "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" Elisha had to let Elijah go, even though it was difficult. He was forced to let Elijah go. And in him doing that, the bible says, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. When The Lord took Elijah away, Elisha did even greater works.

In our lives, as children of God, we too get angry, frustrated and afraid.
Like little Victoria and Elisha was angry, frustrated and afraid.

He did not want the Lord to take Elijah away from him. He did not want anyone to speak of it. There have been times in our lives when we want to hold on to people, places or things in our lives that have been comfort to us. They were always meant to be temporary. But we get so use to it that we say, No! I like where I am, or No! I don't want to do this or No! I don't want to let this person go! And God is telling us that He wants us to let it go! Not only that but, we have to depend on him to see us through.

We get angry, frustrated and afraid because we do not want the Lord to take us out of our comfort zone. We too have been, are in or will go through a training wheels season. You see training wheels are a form of transition. We must remember that: Training wheels were meant to be TEMPORARY. They were never meant to last long. They were only made for a short period of time in hopes that we as novice riders will get the help we need and move on. They were not meant to be a crutch but a guide or boost towards something greater.

We can outgrow training wheels also. Because they are designed for us while we are young and little. After a certain age and size, we wont get very far with them, even if we tried. The training wheels will surely break and we will then fall and be forced to move on our own. It is better to allow God to gently push up on the way that He has for us instead of us outgrowing the training wheels.

Where are you in your transition with the Lord? Are you still on training wheels?
Is it time for you to allow the Lord to take them off?
Will you give Him the right to give you that push you need to get ahead So that you can ride on your own?

At times, We too are on training wheels. Our Heavenly Father, God is holding on to our seats making sure we don't fall. He won't let go until he knows we are ready to ride on our own. Even in that, He is still there with us. We are never really "on our own." the question is: How long will we be on training wheels? That is entirely up to God. It is until He knows we are ready to come off of them.

Sometimes, He may have to take them off himself and give us a little push. But He is still there. What are your training wheels?

Is it time for God to take them off? Will you let Him? He is right there with you saying, "You can do it! I have shown you what to do. I am right here with you. I won't let you go until I know you are ready."We may wobble. We may even fall, but God, our Heavenly Daddy is there to pick us up, dust us off and put us back on the bike. There will even be times where God will watch us fall, and tell us to get up, wipe ourselves off and try again.

Let us let God remove the training wheels in our lives so that we may ride on our own. When we let God push us, He smiles, I knew you could do it! I am proud of you!"

Where are you in your transition with the Lord? Are you still on training wheels? Is it time for you to allow the Lord to take them off? Will you give Him the right to give you that push you need to get ahead So that you can ride on your own? He is watching you.

Little Victoria can now do many tricks with her bike because she let her dad teach her to ride. She might have fallen a lot and even gotten bruised but, she continues to get back on the bike and try again.

LITTLE VICTORIA IS ME!

Is little Victoria apart of you? Do you find yourself afraid to let God do certain things in your life? Let me encourage you while I encourage me...We too can do "greater works than these" if we allow God to take off our training wheels! Although little Victoria was afraid to ride on her own, she still had a trust in her father that he won't leave her or let her go. Daddy wanted her to see that her was letting her go because he loved her. He too had pain in his eyes, but he knew what was best for her. He knew that she would not get learn how to ride on her own unless he pushed her.

There is an even greater victory and reward in us allowing our Heavenly Father to teach us and push us. He is standing there saying, " Will you trust me to take off your training wheels and push you?" He knows what's best for us. He trusts and believes us that we can do it, we should trust and believe that He can do it in us!

Where are you in your transition with the Lord? Are you still on training wheels? Is it time for you to allow the Lord to take them off? Wherever you are I have this Question for you. Will you give Him the right to give you that push you need to get ahead So that you can ride on your own?