A Lesson in Patience

From the very beginning of this Journey I have been challenged  by patience...

Being Patient

Having Patience

Losing Patience...

I am inclined to rush...figure out...analyze...constant mental motion.

So...as a part of this generally constant  state of change I have experienced over the past 2.5 years....I must work at settling  into God's timing...embracing  stillness...so that I hear God's  plan.

It is work for  me...part of the learning and living of this Journey.

Yesterday, I did my 1st "Hills" group training ride for the MS150. The ride was to be approximately 33 miles (37 miles actually) of "rolling hills" roads in the Huntsville, TX area. 

Going in to the ride I was pretty nervous...
A.  This was only my 2nd group ride
B.   The words....Ride...Bike...Uphill...are intimidating in the world of the newbie  cyclist....
C. A+B....and an inordinate amount of Fluff!

So...something important  to note....when I am nervous...my patience is often the 1st thing to go...with myself and others!

So...the ride begins...within the 1st 2 miles I had to stop...thought my chest was going to explode!

I was horrified!

Truly thought I was done....before I even really started.

But in retrospect...here is what happened...I took on that 1st hill absent  of any patience...Bull in a China shop style and it knocked me out!

So in order to continue, I had to practice, at times battle, and ultimately embrace patience...for 37 long miles.

The entire ride was a Lesson in Patience on SO many levels. A lesson in overcoming obstacles one at a time.

I had to compartmentalize each hill...take each hill at face value...with patience...patience with the hill...with the bike I was riding up the hill on and with myself as I learned to maneuver the obstacle.

As I reached  the finish  line...I was pretty  close to tears...exhausted...mentally  as much as physically. Having Patience is exhausting...it seems. :)

So many big lessons in that ride yesterday. 

Patience gives me strength...It gives me the space I need to be imperfect but not paralyzed by those imperfections.

Patience breeds courage...because courage can take time and needs room to grow inside of us all!

Patience teaches me to see the gift in the battle...to keep moving toward each "finish line".

Patience heals the heart...allowing  me to embrace those challenges that scare me...or that feel bigger than I can handle.

There is a line from a country song (by Lone Star) that says this...

"The good Lord gives us Mountains so that we can learn how to climb".

Still here...Still learning...Just Be Patient!