Grace and the Riding of Recumbents
I was waiting in the car tonight when I heard a rather interesting interview with Cathleen Falsani on the subject of Grace. The interviewer asked how Grace felt. She replied that “it felt like the coolness of wind on your palms after having walked all day with your hands clenched in frustration”. This is not an exact quote but a close approximation. What is important however is what leapt to mind after hearing these words; the act of riding a Tour Easy.
I instantly realized that for the longest time it has been difficult to express how very wonderful riding a recumbent feels, especially a Tour Easy. Not ever recumbent is such a joy for me, but this one is special. Lots of other folks who ride them would agree. In fact if you ride a recumbent and are at peace with its design and the way you are positioned on the bike, nothing else comes close to putting such a wide grin on your face.
What you feel is a sense of Grace. A very special, unmerited joy at having found something that makes you happy to be alive and enthralled that you could live to enjoy it. It is something that when you experience it you want to stop and involuntarily say a Prayer of Thanks.
I expect that this sounds a bit too “fuzzy” for lots of folks, but if you are familiar with this essential aspect of the Christian Faith and riding recumbents as well, it probably makes perfect sense.
My greatest sense of worship is when I am astride by Tour Easy and come upon a scene of beauty and suddenly feel that glow of inner joy at being alive. Thankful that God has allowed me to see this and be healthy enough to power myself along the way. I often wonder why churches have not discovered a way to get their parishioners outdoors on hikes and biking trips to various remote areas of a Sunday to stop and worship in song and prayer and then to break bread together and conduct their Fellowship Hour on the trail during the ride back to the church parking lot.
Some churches have indoor workout facilities for their congregants. This is a step in the right direction.
Let me say to those of you who wonder one or perhaps two things:
- Is bicycling all that much fun?
- Are recumbents that much more fun than uprights?
For me the answer is yes on both counts. Bicycling is the one sport you can do almost all your life. And whether you are too young or too infirm to balance a two-wheeler there are always tricycles that can “keep you in the game”. And if you ever find the right recumbent for you I’d be surprised if you did not extoll its virtues to any and all who would listen. It is just that much an experience of Grace.
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Category: Cycling
