Coastin'

If you know me at all you know that I’m a bit of a bike fanatic, specifically fixed gear bikes. These bikes are so appealing because when you are on them you can build up a “cadence, flow, rhythm” or whatever you want to call it. It’s impossible to coast on a fixed gear because unlike other bikes the cog on the rear wheel is actually mounted directly to the hub, this means when you pedal forward the bike moves forward and when you pedal backwards it goes backwards. At some point while on a fixed gear you can reach a speed where your legs cannot keep up with the pace your crank arms want you to go, this is known as pedaling out, when this happens your feet can slip out, you cannot stop as quickly, you have to plan way ahead for any kind of turn, stops, or intersections. Though it very rarely happens in Manhattan, when it does the effects are sometimes brutal. Scaring, bruises, and stitches are all just minor consequences of “pedal bite”; BUT there is no greater feeling than coming out of an incidence bleeding, hurting, and still on your bike pressing forward to your destination with a little more character than when you started. It just feels right.

Lately I have been riding on a single-speed rear-wheel (thanks for letting me borrow yours Sam) because my old wheel fell apart while riding on it. When riding on a wheel like this it is impossible to have a cadence after a certain speed and then you just coast until the need to pedal again. There is no real danger involved or as much reward physically. I’ve been riding on this wheel for a little over a week now; Like all new or different changes in life it was fun for a couple of days, but I really miss the “flow” of my fixed wheel.

This is relevant to my spiritual life lately, specifically my relationship with God. Two weeks into school I had a “cadence” going, I was riding hard for God, I was connected to Him daily. It just felt right. At some point between then and now I traded my “spiritual fixed wheel” in for a “spiritual single-speed”. In doing this I’ve begun to just “coast” using excuses like “I’m really busy!” or “I just don’t have the time to read!”. Or when I do read I just “coast” through it and move on with my day. While these statements are true, it is still no reason for me to ignore my relationship with God. I can’t just occasionally pedal and then coast. I don’t want to sprint for a little bit of my life and then coast out. I would rather “pedal out” for Christ and carry the scars from “spiritual pedal-bite” the rest of my life and remember the times He sustained me, then just coast through life on a free-wheel of complacency.

“(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”
1 timothy 4:10

Cody J Hill