When you find yourself clinging to thoughts of Mr. Wrong, I want you to think of the bike. Evan's sister, Stephanie, related the concept to me this way: There was a little girl who didn't have a bicycle. She went to a garage sale down the street with her dad one day and saw a bike for sale. Just ten dollars! Unbelievable! No one sells a bike for ten dollars! Of course it was a bit rusty, and the handlebars were bent. The kickstand didn't work -- but you don't really need a kickstand. And the back tire needed air -- but that's easy enough to remedy. After all, it was only ten dollars! There could be no reason why her father wouldn't pay ten dollars for a bike for her. Her birthday was just two weeks away, and she wanted that bike!
Her dad said no.
How could he deny her this one little thing? How could he say no to the desire of her heart -- especially since it was almost free?
What she didn't know was that her father already had a shiny new bike with a big red bow on it underneath a blanket in the garage - her birthday gift.
All the little girl could see was that this wasn't fair. "Yeah, my dad says he loves me, but then why wouldn't he give me this one thing that I want -- the one thing that would make me happy?" So for the next two weeks she walked to school while all her other friends flew by on their bikes, handlebar streamers and hair blowing in the breeze. They chinged their little bells as they rode by. Yes, it seemed that everyone was happy except her. Everyone had a bike except her. And it was a very, very long two weeks.
Her choice? She could throw a temper tantrum for two weeks and tell her dad just how unfair he was. She could question his love for her. Or, after pleading her case, she could trust him and remind herself that she had a good dad who loved her and had done a lot for her in the past. She could quit walking by the garage-sale house every day, longing for the one thing she didn't have, and start focusing on what she did have. Playing softball at the playground, for example. Once she got into the game, suddenly her life wouldn't be all about whether she had a bike.
When her focus was elsewhere, the two weeks passed must faster, and it was soon time for her loving father to unveil the shiny new bicycle with the streamers and the shiny bell and a blue and white basket on the front. The kickstand actually worked! And the handlebars were straight and strong and just the right height for her.
This is what our loving Heavenly Father wants for us. Not the garage-sale special. While we're whining about the rusty old second-hand bike, God has something way better for us. We need to trust what He has in store for us.
It all comes down to faith.
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