The Boy With The Invisible Bike

 

 

Joshua Davidson was like all the other boys in his neighborhood except for one thing. He had an invisible bike. It was great fun having a bicycle that was invisible but a great responsibility too. People could see him seemingly riding on air but what they didn't think of was the great care Joshua had to have in keeping his bike out of people's way when he wasn't on it. If Joshua just laid his bicycle down or just put it in the bike rack at school without some note that it was there then someone was sure to trip over it or run in to it not being able to see it. He also had to remember exactly where he placed his bike or he would never find it.

The joy of riding the invisible bike far outweighed the responsibilities for Joshua. Everyday he would ride his bike up and down the neighborhood streets and through the trails in the park. And everyday Stevie Everman would watch him ride by, wishing he had a bike like Joshua's.

At first Stevie had enjoyed watching Joshua ride by. It looked like so much fun. It looked like he flew, pedaling nothing but air. After a time Steve's enjoyment of watching Joshua turned to envy, then the envy turned to anger. What was so special about Joshua that he should have an invisible bike? In fact Steve was convinced that there were some things he could do better than Joshua. The only good thing Stevie could think about Joshua was simply that he had an invisible bike.

As Joshua rode by everyday Steve began to imagine Joshua crashing. His imagination then turned to scenarios of the crash being the result of some trap that he had devised. They imagining turned to wild schemes of how he could get the bike for himself. Soon enough the wild schemes didn't seem too wild. The schemes turned into plans and then the decision came to implement one of those plans. Along with the decision came a sense of excitement and anticipation. The bike would be his, if only for a while.

Steve decided the time to get the bike was when Joshua rode through the park. Steve knew Joshua's route by heart and knew the place where he could get the bike where no one would see it. He tied the rope  to the tree at what he figured was about chest high on Joshua while on the bike. He laid the rope the rope across the path and grasped it in both hands.

Joshua pedaled into sight just as Stevie knew he would and as he approached the rope Steve pulled it tight. The rope sprang from the ground, Joshua ran into it, with it catching him in the chest knocking him backwards off the bike. The rope burned Steve's hands as he watched Joshua fall back and strike his head on the ground. Joshua just laid there motionless.

Steve's plan had been to grab the rider less bike and go for a joy ride but the sight of the still silent Joshua caused a feeling of panic as he ran up to check on Joshua. Blood puddled in the dirt beneath Joshua's head as Steve stared down at what he had done. Joshua opened his eyes, looked up at Steve, then closed his eyes with a low moan.

Despair constricted Steve. This was something he hadn't planned on.  Joshua was seriously hurt and could identify him as the cause for his injury. Sorrow joined despair making it hard for Steve to breath. He was sorry that Joshua had been hurt but he was more sorry that that he had been seen and could be in big trouble. His despair jolted him to flee and run for home.  He had only taken a few quick steps when something hit him and sent him sprawling. He jumped up and looked around and saw nothing. Then he realized that it was the bike. That damned bike. There was no way he could be caught with it now so he got up and ran for home.

It was hours before Joshua was found and rushed to the hospital. He lay in the hospital, silent, not moving for three days. The fear of being caught and the sorrow that Joshua had been hurt had been working on Steve. He talked his parents into taking him to the hospital to see Joshua. His parents were pleased to take him thinking that it was nice for him to be so concerned about a schoolmate.

When they got to the hospital Steve began to wish there was some way he could tell Joshua he was sorry without anyone else hearing. Steve's parents sat in a waiting room while Steve went in with Joshua's parents to the bedside. He stood at the bedside for a while then reached and placed his rope burned hand on Joshua's shoulder. Joshua's eyes opened, he looked intently at Steve and clearly said, "I want you to have my bike. It is there in the park." With that he sighed and closed his eyes again.

Joshua's parents gasped and screamed for the nurse. The nurse and a doctor came rushing into the room. All thoughts of telling Joshua he was sorry disappeared from Steve's thoughts. The bike was his.

When Steve got home from the hospital he rushed to the park to find the bike. It wasn't hard to find because he could remember well stumbling over it. He picked up the bike and got on it and started to pedal home. The bike was really hard to pedal and Steve had to work extremely hard just to barely move at all. When Joshua rode it the bike had seemed to fly so gracefully. This wasn't fun. This wasn't riding on air. This was hard.

As Steve struggled to pedal the bike Joshua opened his eyes, smiled at his parents and drew his last breath. Steve was putting every ounce of strength into pedaling the bike. Steve agonized with each push on the pedals. He felt like he was going up a steep hill but Joshua was soaring effortlessly up into the heavens. 

Smokey

 

 

I finally got around to asking my mom how I got that scar on my hand. She told me, "You were just a toddler and you were playing in the back yard when you fell and cut that skin between your thumb and first finger clean through. Your dog Smokey raised such a racket at the back door I had to go see what was going on."

Smokey. I had completely forgotten about Smokey. Smokey had been run over by a car when I was in kindergarten and had slipped from my memory and now that he had been mentioned the memories came flooding back.

Suddenly I could see Smokey sitting right there in front of me. He was a big grey and white shaggy sheep dog looking mutt. Tears formed in my eyes as he stared back at me.

"I've missed you Smokey," I said quietly.

"You look different," he said.

"I'm an old man now Smokey."

He examined me up and down, looking right into me.

"Well," he said, "you done good."

"Thanks Smokey"

I awoke with a ache. Oh, how I loved that dog. Then it hit me. I don't have a scar on my hand. There is no Smokey.

Still I have been sad all day. I miss Smokey. He was the best dog I never had.

Day 80

 

Contemplating the Waters

 

You don't have, because you do not ask God.

 

James 4:2

 

You have probably heard the story about the man who when he died wanted his ashes to be spread around Wal-Mart. That was the only way he could be sure his wife would come visit his grave site.

I was at a Wal-Mart, not spreading some one's ashes, and walked into the men's restroom. There was man and his young son in there talking to another man. The boy clearly needed to go to the restroom but one stall was out of order and the other occupied. The boy had that anxious look in his eyes and was prancing around the floor eager for his turn.

The conversation between the boy's father and the other man went something like this:

"Are you sure there is someone in that stall?"

"Yes. A little boy went in there a while back and hasn't come out yet. I've been waiting about 10 minutes."

"Well, I don't think my son can wait much longer."

In fact they did not wait much longer. The three of them left, presumably in search of another restroom.

When I left the restroom there was a little girl standing outside the door of the men's room and the girl's mother came up to her and said, "Are you still waiting for Timmy?"

"Yes," she said rolling her eyes. "He's been in there for 15 minutes!"

The mother asked, "Sir, would you mind seeing if there is a little boy named Timmy in there?"

I assured her I would be happy to check. I did have a good idea where Timmy was. I went back in the restroom and tapped on the stall door.

"Timmy, are you in there?"

"Yes," came the weak reply.

"Your mom says it is time for you to come out."

"Okay."

The stall door immediately opened and out came Timmy fully clothed. Evidently he had been in there the last 15 minutes contemplating the peaceful waters of the commode. There was no telling how long he would have stayed in there. Some little boys do seem to be fascinated with toilets.

The point is this: That mom and sister could have waited until one of them had a birthday and Timmy might have still lingered in that bathroom stall. They could have taken matters into their own hands and barged right in the men's room. But what they did was to ask for help. When they did that there problem was solved.

In James 4:2 we are told we don't have simply because we do not ask. Sometimes the things we need are just a heart felt prayer of faith away. Yes, God knows what we need before we ask. He also knows it is important for our spiritual growth for us to learn to ask.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read James 4:1-6

• What paths do some people take, besides prayer, to get the things they want or need?
• What is a reason, James tells us, that we don't receive the things we pray for?
• James quotes Proverbs 3:34, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Do you think that sometimes we don't ask God for what we need because we are too proud and want to do it on our own?

 

 

 

 

 

 





Day 79

 

A Remembrance Book

 

Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.

Malachi 3:16

 

I write my son's birthday letter every February. It is a birthday tradition. Every year since he could read  (4 years old) I have written him a letter for his birthday. They are simple letters, never much more than a page. I tell him how proud I am of him, that I love him and encourage him to live the Christian life. I don't know how much it means to him now but I do know it will mean a lot more in the future. Now that he is in his twenties and grown I have thought about stopping but I haven't yet. They are all saved and placed in his remembrance book.

 

His remembrance book is not a scrap book, though it may appear to be that to others. I started it after his mother died. It contains pictures of his mom when she was a child and samples of her school work. It explains who Cathy was and what was important to her. There are pictures from her battle with cancer, from when we were dating and of our marriage. It tells him of our life together. There are pictures of him being held by her when he was a baby and also newspaper articles announcing the birth of the "miracle boy." It tells him of her courage in facing death and has letters sent to me that are testimonials to the remarkable person that she was. And it has all those birthday letters.

 

It was good therapy for me to put it together but it was meant for him. I can remember Cathy but he was only a 1 year old when she was died and it is the only way he can remember his mom. He is a fortunate young man to have a mom who loved him so much that she risked her life so that he might be born and also have another mom who has loved and sacrificed so much to see that he has grown to be the fine Christian young man that he is. These are things he needs to know and remember.

 

Malachi tells us about another remembrance book - God's remembrance book. In a day when people were claiming it was pointless to serve God, a few faithful people gathered together to encourage one another to keep the faith. God looked down on them and heard them and had a remembrance book written down for them. It wasn't so God would remember them because he memory is infallible. The book is for them. It is a testimonial to them. I like to picture them up in heaven right now, sitting at the feet of God as together they go through that book, look at the pictures and remember.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Malachi 3:13-18

• What harsh things had some said against God?
• Besides the remembrance book what else is in store for the faithful?
• Who does God compare the faithful to? 



Day 78

 

Imitation

 

You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

 

1 Thessalonians 1:6

 

Ethan and I had to kill a large rat. When I say it was large I mean it was the Godzilla of rats. He was carrying a Chihuahua in his mouth. I'll spare you the gory details of the killing but I was in the back yard when I saw the malicious beast and managed to pin him to the side of the house with a stick and hollered for Ethan to come out and help me finish him off.

Ethan came to my aid brandishing a pitch fork in a menacing fashion and said something I found very amusing. He said, "I feel like an angry villager."

I appreciated the wit. It is not the first time he had displayed his ability to make insightful and humorous remarks. There was a teenage girl who went to Peru with us on a mission trip and she got altitude sickness which is easy to do when you go from sea level in Lima, Peru to a mile and a half high in Cajamarca, Peru. Later that summer on another mission trip in Tupelo, Mississippi the same girl got sick again. Ethan commented that this time she had low altitude sickness.

Where does this sense of humor come from? Well, from the time he could talk I taught him to tell jokes. On one vacation we were in the hills of North Carolina with some friends and we were in this empty barn arena. We sat in the stands and a then 5 year old Ethan took the stage and did his stand up comic routine. He told jokes like: "Where did Napoleon keep his armies? In his sleevies, of course."

So, some of his sense of humor was taught but most of it was caught. He got it from me. He is like me in so many ways yet he is different than me in some ways too (for which we can all be thankful). It is not just Ethan, a whole lot of kids grow up to be like their parents. Some consciously imitate their parents and some do it sub-consciously. I have even known a few that did not want to be like their parents but never the less wound up a lot like them.

Paul says the Thessalonians became imitators of him and the Lord. Several times Paul encourages people to either imitate him or Christ. You have to be real certain you are living the right way if you are telling people to imitate you. And you better be real certain you are living the right way in front of your children because most likely they will imitate you.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Ephesians 5:1-2

• Whom should we imitate and what relationship is it based on?
• What kind of life should we live?
• Who is our example in living this life? 



Day 77

 

God's Timing

 

When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that the Son may be glorified through it." Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick he stayed where he was two more days.

 

                                     John 11:4-6

 



We were supposed to go on our mission trip to Honduras in July but the political situation there made it impossible. The airport in Tegucigalpa was closed and our flight was cancelled. We rescheduled for early September and things worked out this time, just the way God planned it.

We did medical clinics in the village of Lapairique. We saw 2,700 patients in 3 1/2 days. There were 161 professions of faith in Christ. It was a great week. We could sense the hand of God in bringing things together to accomplish what he wanted to do.

A woman came to the medical clinic with 2 small children. Both of the children were very sick. The youngest, just a baby, was only a few days away from death the doctors said. The children had impetigo, a skin disease that is treatable but if left untreated can lead to death. The children got the treatment they needed and their lifes were saved. If we had not been there the baby, without treatment, would have died in a few days and the older sibling might have lived for another week.

We had been disappointed when our trip had been postponed from July to September. It meant some of our team would be unable to go. God's timing was at work though. If we were there in July we would have not been in the village when the children were sick. By coming in September we were there at just the right time.

In John 11 Jesus was on the eastern side of the Jordan river with his disciples when he received a message that his friend Lazarus was sick and needed his help. Lazarus and his sisters lived on the western side of the Jordan river and a couple of days journey from where Jesus was at. From the details of the story and the distance between Bethany and where Jesus was we know that Lazarus must have died shortly after the messenger left Bethany to find Jesus. Jesus couldn't have possibly arrived before Lazarus' death. It was okay the message arrived "too late" because it was all in God's timing. God had something bigger in mind than healing a sick Lazarus. God wanted Jesus to raise a dead Lazarus back to life! The outcome of all this, Jesus tells us, was to bring God glory.

Where we saw the delay of the mission trip as a problem, God was at work. It was his timing to bring us to that village at just the right time. The end result: lives saved to the glory of God.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read John 11:1-16

• Where the disciples receptive to the visit to Judea and to God's timing?
• How can we reconcile the statement that, "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" with his waiting two days before leaving?
• Did Jesus know something the rest of them didn't know? And if so, what?

Day 76

 

My Feet

 

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

 

Isaiah 52:7

 

I have beautiful feet. In fact my feet are my best feature. With my face I'm not going to win any beauty contest or be a male model. With my physique I will not be confused with a certain former governor of California. I've never won a popularity contest so I know my personality rubs some people the wrong way. What I have is beautiful feet.

 

I am not making this claim based on pride but upon years of experience in viewing feet. I worked my way through college and Seminary being a life guard and a shoe salesman. In both jobs I got to see a lot of feet. My feet are not too big or too small, a moderate size 9 1/2. My toes are not too stubby or too long and skinny. They are perfectly shaped.

 

I am really pleased that my toenails are well colored and healthy. When I was young I was afraid that as I grew older I would have toenails like my dad's. When I was a kid my dad's toenails were yellow and thick and scary. They looked like the toenails of Neanderthal man. What I didn't know was that his toenails were a sort of occupational hazard. He was a coach and constantly battled athlete's foot. It has been years since my dad coached and his toenails are fine now. He can go barefoot and not scare the grand kids. And I am grateful and proud that I had a dad who would sacrifice his feet's beauty to put food on the table for us.

 

I know that vanity is a sin and not an attractive character trait. One of the guys I sold shoes with was so vain his best friend was a mirror. In fact he would stand in front of the mirror at the shoe store every day and say, "I can't wait for tomorrow. I get better looking every day." I never spend time looking at my feet in the mirror.

 

The only flaw on my feet is that I have a small scar on one of them. When I was about 12 I jumped over a barb wire fence somewhat unsuccessfully. I hooked my ankle on a barb and had a big gash down on to my foot that was about 9 inches long. I went home and showed it to my dad. My dad believed in tough love. I didn't get a tetanus shot or stitches. He put this red medicine on the cut that really burned. It was probably picante sauce. The he put 12 regular old band aids across the cut. When it healed I had a 9 inch scar that stood up about 1/4 of an inch off my foot. Over the years the scar shrunk to where it is no longer raised up and only about an inch long. I think it gives my foot a rugged, manly quality. 

 

The Bible talks about beautiful feet. In Isaiah 52:7 it says, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" Now that is the kind of feet I want.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Isaiah 52:7-12

• What are the watchmen to do?
• What are the "ruins of Jerusalem" going to do?
• What are those "who carry the vessels of the LORD" supposed to do?