Wearing a Helmet

Again, Jon inspires me.

His blog today was about hearing God's voice and how God can tell us to do things.  I think the story you're about to hear is the first time I ever heard Him.

Everyone and everything tells you to wear a helmet when you ride a bike.  When I was younger, none of my friends wore helmets, but I always did.  Because I was clumsy then.  And I knew that I can't ride a bike without falling over before I even start moving.

About 3 years ago, it was a beautiful day and I wanted to go read in the gazebo that looks over a lake in the neighborhood next to mine.  So I asked for permission, grabbed my sunglasses, slipped my feet into a pair of flip-flops, picked up my Bible, and headed out the door.  For the first time, I figured I was safe and decided to leave my helmet hanging in the hallway.  I got my bike from the garage and pedalled down the driveway.  When I passed the side door to my house, I felt extremely guilty and ran back inside to get my helmet.  That feeling was definitely God flicking my ear.  You'll know why after a couple more paragraphs.

So I biked to the gazebo with no problems whatsoever and opened up my Bible to Proverbs.  That was the first time I had ever read it.  I read all of Proverbs 17 and 18 before deciding to head home.  I found a couple verses I loved and marked them.  With God on my mind, I made my way to the trails that led back to my neighborhood.

Some trails they are, too.  They're about 2 feet wide, the bridges are narrow and you practically have to jump to get over the ledges when you cross the bridges.  And there are WAY too many hills.  It's like Satan was in charge of making them.  Really.

Anyway, I was swerving along said trails and I got to a hill that led straight onto a bridge.  I wasn't really focusing on my steering and I missed the bridge.  My front tire collided with the railing post and my bike threw me forward.  As I flipped over the handlebars, I lost a shoe, my Bible flew out of the basket and landed on the ground, and my knee hit the railing.  I landed on my head, right over my right temple, and rolled over my shoulder the way my dad taught me to roll out of handstands.

I stood up, limped to my shoe, and put it on.  As I picked up my bike and Bible, a man who had been walking his dog not 20 feet behind me strolled by me, not giving me a second look.  It took all of my willpower not to hit him and ask him why he didn't offer to help me.  I shrugged it off and put my Bible back in the basket.  My bike was completely dead.  The front brakes were permanently shoved against the wheel, making riding my bike impossible.  So I pushed it home.

As I was walking, about a quarter of a mile in, I took off my helmet.  It was broken.  Right above where my right temple was.  I started crying, and not because my knee hurt or because I had a nasty headache.  I cried because God was protecting me.  He was with my parents when they told me countless times to wear my helmet, He was with me when I was about to leave without a helmet on, He was with me when I was reading His Word, and He was with me when I wrecked my bike.  He never left me.  He never will.

I still have my helmet to this day (because I still haven't bought a new one), and it still is missing a huge chunk of Styrofoam or whatever that tough stuff is on the right side, right over my right temple.

So I didn't exactly hear God, but I definitely felt Him.  The whole time, I knew He was with me.  And that makes me love Him all the more.  :D

I hope that if you don't already know, you will come to know how much God loves you and how He will NEVER EVER LEAVE YOU.  I might do another post on the same subject, because a couple days ago a friend of mine told me a really eye-opening story from the TobyMac book City On Our Knees.  Keep an eye out for it!

<3 Warrior