Years ago, when my daughter was itty bitty, we decided it was time for her to lose the training wheels and learn to ride a bike.
I took her down to an empty parking lot and watched her ride, then said, “Okay honey it's time to do it on your own." The very idea frightened her. But after some cajoling she let me remove the training wheels as long as I promised to hold on and stay with her.
So there we were, her on her bike, and me holding on to her seat and handlebar, jogging alongside as she rode on two wheels.
As she got the hang of it, I slowly removed my hands from the bike and let go.
My daughter declared, “Look Dad! I’m doing it!” I was smiling from ear to ear as I said, “You’re doing great! And don’t worry, I may have let go - but I’m still right here.”
On the 40th day after Easter, Christians celebrate Ascension Day - the day Jesus took off our training wheels - ascending to the heavens - and leaving his followers to carry on His work.
The very idea of Jesus letting us go on our own is as scary for us as it was for my daughter. But Christ trusts us to find our balance, choose our direction - and while he may have let go, he’s always here.
So we ask:
Where are the training wheels in our lives?
Are we stretching our minds?
Challenging our bodies?
Exercising our souls?
Ascension Day asks us to consider our maturity - and the ways we are losing the training wheels - and trusting in God’s faith in us to do the work.
