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In late 2014, I met one of my best friends. We spent the early part of 2015 bonding over countless hours of road biking. We signed up for a ride scheduled for early May, which gave us just the level of motivation needed to complete regular training rides. But these rides were about so much more than building endurance. They were more about building a friendship that would last across the miles and years. It was about bonding in sisterhood and sharing the love of Christ.

This time of my life was pretty tough. In mid-2014, we were told my mom was in the final stages of her fight with metastatic breast cancer. This lady was a fighter, more than almost anyone I’ve ever met. She approached this battle with grace, and continued to shower us with love even as her health deteriorated.

As Terry and I biked, we talked about life, our families, the goodness of God, and so much more. It’s beyond my ability to express how these conversations enriched my life. I talked to my mom on the phone every day, and I couldn’t imagine not being able to share my musings about life with her. However, the deeper my relationship with Terry grew, the less of a concern this became.

I came to understand the importance of having friends like Terry in my life. While there’s nothing quite like a mom such as mine, this type of sisterhood is also important. This is because you can bolster each other up during the tough times and remind each other of who you are in Christ.

In the words of King Solomon from the book of Ecclesiastes:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either one of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)

Winter came and went, and with the newness of spring, my mom entered her new life in the heavenly realms. I was at peace knowing she was no longer in pain and was in the presence of Jesus. Over the prior months, the friendships I had developed with Terry and many others covered me and my family with the love of Christ.

I experienced the truth Jesus was conveying when he said:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

~ John 13:34-35 (NIV)

Shortly after my mom’s passing, the day of the big ride arrived. We awoke early, shivering at the starting line while we waited for the announcers to release us. Though it’s said “April showers bring May flowers”, we spent the whole 40 degree day under May showers with no flowers in sight. Wet and cold, we nonetheless continued on our way.

At the 30 mile halfway mark, we enjoyed lunch with our friend and riding companion, Elisabeth, and tried to get warm. Before long a support van appeared, offering to take riders who didn’t want to continue to the finish line. The three of us shared a look, and our eyes said what our voices would not. Had any of us spoken the word, our ride would have been finished. Instead, as a cohesive unit, we trudged on.

When you’re cold and tired and at your wits end, the mind can be a terrible thing. Remember, I had said farewell to my mom shortly before this event, counted in mere days. As the miles dragged on, and the feeling in my feet diminished, my mind started to get the best of me. To get through it, I turned my mind to lovely things like the smell of the rain, the sound of the birds on spring mornings, and my favorite songs.

I think this is partly what the Apostle Paul meant when he said:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

~ Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

As I unclipped from my pedals and stepped onto the ground at the last rest stop, I quickly realized I could no longer feel my feet. A nice couple rushed over as they saw me stumble and ushered me to their van. Before I could say a word, they had wrapped me in a blanket, put me in front of a heater, and removed my socks and shoes. Once I was warm, they gave me new socks and sent me on my way.

I was enveloped in the kindness and love of these strangers for the rest of the ride. As I approached the finish line, they were there along with my friends, husband, and kids cheering me on. Suddenly, I didn’t miss my mom quite so badly. I realized I carried her love within me, and remembered that the love of Christ covers it all.

We can experience His love by taking time to appreciate the lovely smell of the rain, enjoying the company of friends and family, experiencing the kindness of strangers, and in so many other ways. As we’re told in 1 John 4, God is love and we’re able to love because God loved us first. We’ve been given a gift, and the most wonderful thing we can do is share it with others.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

~ 1 John 4: 9-11 (NIV)

When we choose to follow Christ, we become part of His body and each have a role to play (1 Corinthians 12). By discovering our God-given gifts, we’re able to contribute in the way He’s uniquely equipped us. However, if we discover our gifts and fail to love, what have really done?

As the Apostle Paul explains so clearly:

If I speak in the tongues of men or angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (NIV)

Friends, let us love one another. Let us remember we’re not alone. God is with us always. And because of the love He has shown us, we can love others. May love be our motivation, the driving force behind who we are and what we do. Let us love people well.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

~ John 3:16 (NIV)

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

While the beginning of a new year, month, or week always seems like a good time for reflection and goal setting, too often I get caught in the trap of framing my reflection in the negative. I didn’t exercise enough, eat well enough, run fast enough, read my Bible enough, and on and on it goes. This is reflected in my goals — exercise more, eat more veggies, do more whatever. All the more, more, more is exhausting rather than refreshing.

Here’s the thing — with this kind of thinking, enough is never enough. If you’ve ever practiced a sport, played an instrument, or done any other activity that requires a level of skill, you’ll know what I mean. You think to yourself, once I’ve done X it will get easier. You do X and while some aspects of the thing get easier, the thing itself doesn’t get easier.

To avoid the exhaustion that comes with this type of thinking, this time I purposefully framed my reflection and goal setting on three areas — what I want to keep doing, start doing, and stop doing. Starting with “keep doing” was great, as it was an opportunity to think about all the things I’m already doing — whether or not improvement is needed.

This process naturally led me to create goals that are framed in the positive, such as:

• Eating with purpose: Continuing to eat pretty clean and working purposefully to eliminate even more processed foods from my diet.
• Enhancing my piano skills: Continuing to play the piano every day and begin using an online tutor to improve my abilities.
• Exercising regularly: Starting to exercise more regularly, striving to not let other things get in the way of this discipline.
• Setting weekly goals: Using regular goal setting as a means to accomplish my work and educational goals, while also maintaining balance in my personal and spiritual life.
• Spending time in the Bible: Maintaining my practice of reading the Bible daily and using a plan to help me read the whole Bible in a year.
• Staying out of credit card debt: Continuing to pay off credit card debt monthly and avoiding the temptation to carry over a balance.

Now, in order to avoid the spiral of more, more, more, I need to continue to frame my thinking in the positive. Rather than focus on all the areas where I’m not enough, I’m going to remember that no matter how much I try, I’ll never be enough. And, that’s okay. In fact, it’s freeing.

All the striving leads to exhaustion, and when I’m exhausted I don’t want to do anything. Clearly, that’s not healthy and there’s a better way. I’m reminded of the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV):

Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’

Jesus is telling us very clearly that there’s no reason for us to carry the burden on our own. We don’t need to worry about being enough, because Jesus is already enough. As His followers, we can rest in this truth. This doesn’t mean that we don’t need to try our best, but rather that we have hope in the Good News of who Jesus is and what He’s done even when we’re not enough. This is because Jesus is always enough.

So, I’m going to continue to set good goals that are framed in the positive and do my best to meet them. And, I’m going to turn to the only one who can satisfy my thirst and give me rest.

…Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’

~ John 7:37-38 (NIV)