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I used to be an avid cyclist. It’s really sad to write this in the past tense. Once upon a time, a sixty-mile ride climbing steep hills was fun. One summer, my friend Shelley and I rode our bikes through the mountain stages following the Tour de France. To say we saw spectacular beauty and experienced adventures of a lifetime doesn’t do it justice.

 

I didn’t just start out riding like that. I began slowly, tentatively, one day at a time, one mile after another; a rhythmic repetition, turning over the pedals. That was almost a decade ago, in the days when Lance Armstrong was still a hero. Leading up to that summer of the Tour, we trained hard, putting in hundreds of miles a week. Wednesdays were set aside for specific training, doing hill repeats. Saturdays were for longer rides of sixty-plus miles.

 

I vividly remember the joy of riding compared to the way I feel about it now. These days, it can be pretty discouraging. It can hurt like heck to get back on the saddle the day after what I (would have) considered an easy ride. After twenty miles, I find myself thinking, are we there yet?

 

What happened to the fun? I know the answer. I have to do it more than twice a year! I need to do it with consistency. I need to go at it persistently, instead of making excuses.  I need to stop procrastinating, stop saying to myself, I’ll do it again . . . when my schedule frees up. That’s about as much of a commitment as saying…as if!

 

So when I excitedly tell you that Bible Study is starting again, you may be thinking, “One of these days I’ll show up and give it a go.” Maybe you think, “I really should get back to study, but for now I’ll take a pass. Besides, I’m in a book club and we’re reading a popular Christian author who is amazing.” Maybe your shelf is full of devotional books and you think reading one of those each morning is enough. Let me tell you, that’s about the same as you looking at my photos of the summer we rode in France. Pretty pictures, but you won’t really experience the thrill of riding Mont Ventoux or pedaling beside fields of lavender and sunflowers.

 

We settle for so much less. God wants to speak directly into your life through the Bible. You may settle for a ride on the sidewalk around your neighborhood block—but God wants to take you to the mountains of France, girl!

 

I was so proud of my mom. One year she was determined to read the Bible cover to cover. And she did. That year, she was full of questions and comments about the things she was learning. Then one day I asked her, “Hey mom, are you still reading your Bible?” She simply said, “No, I already read it.”

 

I hold her Bible in my hands and flip through the pages. I see small pencil marks she made every two to three pages to save her place. These days she is no longer able to sit up or hold a book or even carry on a conversation. And I wonder . . . did she ever get off just circling sidewalks and ride the mountains?

 

God never intended for His Word to be just for the elite, smarty-pants scholar types. It’s more than a book of gilt-edged pages for us to hold only on Sunday mornings. He is shouting from the roof tops to the simple! Hey, you! Come on, dive into these pages. I want to speak to you! I wrote it for you! All for you!

 

So let me tell you, do NOT settle for just signing up to be in a small group Bible study with friends. You need to keep doing it! Get past the first week, the first month, the first year.

 

And when you feel tired and sore, the way I felt after day one on my bike again, don’t give up. God wants to stretch you. He wants to do some amazing things in your life this year. Even better than last year! But you gotta get back on the bike.

 

“I will study Your commandments and reflect on Your ways. I will delight in Your decrees and not forget Your Word.” Psalm 119:15-16 NLT