The beauty of tension

For many years I was a passionate bicyclist. My knees won't let me do it anymore, but I loved riding, the sweat, the exercise, the movement generated by ME! I loved the quiet, the trees, the air as I rode. I loved working on the bike, the gears, the wheels. The interaction between rider and machine is fascinating to me.

One of the most interesting things about a bicycle is how the wheel holds together. It's constructed, quite magically, around a hub with a number of spokes protruding out to the wheel in all directions. Each spoke is tightened to a tension that both pushes away and pulls together the wheel to the hub. It's a marvelous invention. It's one of the reasons a bicycle is such a magical vehicle.

As I thought about my own walk with God I was reminded of the bicycle wheel. Such an amazing invention and yet tension is critical for its success. I've often heard, as I rode, the distinct sound of a "ping" from one of the wheels as a spoke gave way. If I didn't address this quickly the wheel would "go out of true" and "pretzel". It's a term we used to describe a wheel that was twisted because of a broken spoke and the tensions the other spokes still maintained on the wheel. The wheel would deform from round or look like a pretzel as you rolled it on the axle.

The tension of each spoke kept everything round and in balance. The tension of both pulling in and pushing away was necessary for the wheel to stay true. Tension is a beautiful thing if you understand its purpose. For a bicycle wheel it is a must.

And, I must tell you, for me to "stay true" there must be a tension working in my life. The tension between a trial and trust. The tension between fear and faith. A tension we all feel between position and promise. There are a number of them we could list, but they all declare that in a fallen world there is a tension that will be part of our lives, a tension that actually helps us grow. It's not IF you will have tension, but HOW will you deal with it? What must you do to keep your life "true" and rolling on.

In my walk there is this tension I'm learning to live with, learning to use for my own walk. My trust is not undermined by my trial, in fact it's strengthened. My love for the lost isn't acceptance of their actions, but a love in spite of them. There is a beauty in this tension we experience. As you read the word watch for it....it's everywhere. Here's just one example of what this looks like as we live out the Christian life,

2 Corinthians 12:9 (New Living Translation)

⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.