Handling curves in life

This evening I spent some time helping my son learn to properly navigate his bike. Jackson is a good kid but one that is spoiled because so many things come easy to him. Consequently, he can get pretty frustrated when something takes a little more effort than he thinks should be the case. Bike riding is one of those things.

Tonight we were practicing curves. Unfortunately for his little knees, it turned out to be more about curbs. Still, curves are absolutely necessary skills to learn in riding a bike. I laughed out loud when he yelled to me from some distance away, “You know, it would be a lot easier if I could just go in straight lines!”

That was one of the simplest but most profound statements I’ve heard in quite a while. Think about it. He’s exactly right. Straight lines are always easier. You can almost manage straight lines in your sleep, as a matter of fact.

But curves — like alarm clocks — are a regular part of life. . . .something we can pretty well count on.

As my family and I traveled last week, we were frightened at times by the difficulty of the curves in the roads on which we traveled. But we were also captivated by the beauty of the landscape those crooked trails enabled us to enjoy.

At the start of a new week, I caution that you will almost definitely encounter some unforeseen curves in life. . . . perhaps a sickness or injury. . . perhaps a major problem at work. . . maybe a family crisis of some sort. I encourage you to anticipate such challenges and purpose within yourself even now to find meaning in such frustrating and disheartening situations.

And be grateful that you will encounter no curve in life that God did not see coming.