You Let Me Fall!

I grew up on a dirt road for most of my childhood before the county paved it. Each house in our area was required to have at least an acre of land to avoid crowding and becoming like a subdivision neighborhood. Our road dead ended into our neighbors’ driveway, so there was not much traffic down this road. We could get out and play cork ball or wiffle ball without fear of many cars. That little stretch of dirt road carries some fond memories. Sometimes, my brothers and I would have to get out and push my dad’s truck up and down the road so he could pop the clutch to get it started. Those were the good old days.

One of my favorite memories on that road was learning to ride a bike. Maybe it is one of my favorites because once you learn the skill it is yours for life. Like any beginner on a bicycle, we started of with tricycles at a very early age then moved up to the bike with training wheels. There comes a time though when the training wheels have to come off. There comes a point in everybody’s life when something that was helping you is now a hindrance to making you better. When a baby gets old and big enough, you have to remove the crib and allow him/her to sleep in a bed or else the poor thing will soon be jammed in there head to toe and sleep will be hindered. When sleep is hindered in children’s lives, growth will be stunted and you have literally retarded the natural growth process that God put in place. Keeping the training wheels of life on your child will not help, in fact, it will destroy.

As I learned to ride around on that bike and got very comfortable doing so, I wanted those training wheels to come off. When they did come off, mom or dad held on to the back of the seat and a handle bar to get me started. At some point though, they let go. I cannot remember how far down that old road they let go of my seat, but I did not realize it until it was time to turn around at the dead end. I did not know how to stop! I do remember thinking or yelling, “You let me go?!” I crashed. Oddly enough, I do not remember my parents ever having to help with the bike again. They got me to where I needed to be and had the love to let go. Thank you Mom and Dad and happy Father’s Day.