“Mom, give me a little boost,” my son instructed me. He was newly off training wheels and had just graduated to a bigger bike. I steered my bike closer, bent down and gripped his handle bar as he put his feet on his pedals and took off, determined to catch up to his father and sister further along the bike path.
I didn’t “boost” him. I didn’t need to. He was doing it all on his own — the balancing, the surging forward under his own strength. He just needed me next to him for a little “boost” of confidence.
We’ve been playing this game for two weeks now. At first, he did need me. He needed that push forward while he balanced and figured out the pedals. But lately I’ve been gradually holding less tightly, pushing less forcefully until today when I simply balanced the bike during his take offs.
At one point during our seven mile ride, he turned to me as he stood there straddling his bike and said “Mom, I’m okay. I can do it.” And he did. It was pretty wobbly, and so I held my breathe and made a concerned-mom-face behind his back while I silently watched, but he soon straightened it out and was steadily pedaling.
My cheers and his proud smile were repeated from that point forward. His take-offs steadily improved and his confidence continued to soar as he realized he didn’t need “Mom’s boost” anymore.
As we pedaled along the trail that meandered through woods and fields and over swollen streams, I contemplated those last few “boosts” and realized that I’m not so very different than the four-year-old biking superstar pedaling furiously just ahead of me.
Sometimes, when life takes a turn I’m not quite expecting, when a task at hand feels a thousand times bigger than what I’m qualified to tackle, I need someone to steady the figurative handle bars; I need a boost — a reminder that I’m not alone on this journey.
And don’t we all? When Kendra, Kristin, and I spoke at a women’s conference last weekend, I had the opportunity to pray with some sweet, wonderful women. I listened as stories and emotions tumbled out and realized that we simply have no idea about the tremendously difficult things others are walking through, the pain lurking behind kind eyes and friendly smiles.
Today, I’m sharing my “boost” Bible verses. The ones I seek out time and again. The ones that get whispered just before the Big Moments of life occur.
- “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27
- “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.” Psalm 47:1-3
- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
And, I’ll leave you with the one that has been ringing in my ears and in my heart these last few years, a mantra of sorts: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
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