squeaky brakes

The other day I went for a short bike ride. Actually it was a bit of an emotional ride. Okay, I was mad. I was mad at God, I was frustrated with our circumstances, I was…having a pity party. We have our good days and bad days. It was a bad day that day so I went for a ride. There are some great trails in a park close to our house so I started riding down them. I found this really cool little spot off the trail with a huge tree and some logs surrounding it. It was obvious that I wasn’t the first one to spend some time there. And the hypodermic needles let me know not everyone was praying! Anyway…

So I got off my bike and started pacing around that huge tree. God and I were having a very serious conversation about church planting. Right in the middle of one of my bitter rants, I heard something. It was in the distance, but getting closer, and it was annoying. It was a high pitched squeal. It would stop for a few seconds and then start up again. Off and on, off and on—annoying, irritating, disrupting my precious pity party!

Well, I couldn’t focus on my tirade with this racket so I paused long enough for the interruption to pass. Then I saw the source. It was a father and son on a ride together. The father was in the lead of a downhill section. It could have been out of safety or fear, but that guy just kept hitting the brakes…squeaky brakes! It was like fingernails down the chalkboard every few seconds. Lovely. Evidently I wasn’t the only one annoyed by this either, because just as they passed me by, the son shouted something to his dad. “DAD! YOUR SQUEAKY BRAKES ARE RUINING THIS EXPERIENCE!”

I’ve been squeaking a lot lately. Even I, the source, know that. Even I, the source, am annoyed by it. How many more people are having their experience ruined by my squeaky brakes?!

It’s taken me a couple days to realize this, but here it finally is. That father and son bike ride was supposed to be an enjoyable experience. It was supposed to be a fun and exciting adventure. It’s sad that something as small as squeaky brakes could get in the way, but that’s just the reality. Now, those brakes didn’t stop them. They didn’t cause the father or the son to cease the bike ride or fall to the ground. But they sure did put a kink in the ambiance. They sure did affect the journey. That father and son were going to get to their destination with or without the squeaky brakes, but the manner in which they dismounted their bikes at the end could swing in one of two ways. And to think, a fairly minor adjustment could have changed all that!

I can be a very negative person. I am the king of cynicism. I have a real talent for spotting the bad in just about everything and everyone. Then, upon the discovery, I can pick it apart and dwell on it for hours, days or even weeks! I know, I know. If only they had an Olympic event for it. I would definitely win the gold in the 400 Meter Squeak!

See, God and I are on this journey one way or the other. He is leading the way and I am following. My negative, squeaky brakes aren’t stopping us or killing me, but it sure is ruining the experience. It was supposed to be this amazing, fun, spectacular and even miraculous adventure, but often I find myself just feeling irritated, exhausted and frustrated. All I can see is the bad. All I dwell on is the pain. Squeak. Squeak! SQUEAK!

God reminded me of that day and that example this morning. He revealed something very important to me. If I would just shut my stinkin’, squeakin’, negative mouth, I might just have a blast. I might be able to look at the beauty surrounding me. I might be able to feel the wind in my face and sense the thrill of the ride. I might get to the end of this ride, dismount with a smile, and say, “WOW! LET’S GO AGAIN!”

And to think, a fairly minor adjustment could change all this! Less squeaking for me. Let’s go for a ride!