Life Is Like a Century Ride

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

 

Recently I was sharing with my children adventures of riding century rides when I was younger and more courageous. A century ride is a 100-mile bicycle ride usually of challenging proportions. It can include long fast downhill descents as well as muscle-wrenching uphill ascents. The Mt. Lassen Century ride includes both of these in generous amounts. As I shared with them this particular adventurous ride I participated in I thought how similar it is to the life we lead. Let me share what I mean by describing what I believe are four stages of life and comparing it to four stages of my century ride.

 

In the Mt. Lassen Century ride you first begin at Lake Manzanita and travel down the mountain highway at speeds of about 40-50mph buffeted by the cold mountain air until you reach Shingletown. You are fresh at this leg of the race for you have just started the day with the excitement of what lays ahead. You are full of energy to begin the ride and enjoy the downhill speed and the beautiful scenery. This part of the ride reminds me of the early stage of our lives from birth to the late teens. We are fresh and full of life. We are ready for any challenge and in our youth we are willing to take on anything. We like to experiment with our potential and explore our world. Paul in his second letter to Timothy challenges this young man to be wary of how much he might be tempted to experiment with the pleasures of life. He states in 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

 

This stage of life is one of the most crucial for we establish attitudes towards life, habits of behavior and interests of potential benefit or detriment. The older Paul is encouraging the younger Timothy in this passage to be careful of the passions of youth and what they can lead to. He wants to encourage Timothy to channel his passion for life towards more enduring and eternal pursuits rather than the fleeting pleasures of youth. In the second part of this verse advises Timothy to associate with others of similar faith, “who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Often the friends we pick and the activities we participate in at this stage of our lives will greatly influence who we will become later in life.

 

The second stage of the century ride involves traveling across Black Butte Road, which is poorly kept and somewhat narrow, to reach Highway 36. It has some moderate hills and winds to and fro through the Oak trees and Manzanita bushes of mountainous Northern California. I believe this leg of the ride might represent the next stage of life from our early twenties to mid thirties. Just as in this stage of the ride you begin to encounter obstacles and challenges of larger proportion, so life brings such situations to our experience. When we graduate high school we often either enter the work force or begin attending college. We face new challenges in our lives as we learn to work with others, as we work under an employer and as we begin to pursue a career. Our energy, mind and sometimes moral integrity face obstacles as we build upon the foundation of our youth. Again Paul has advice for such individuals in this stage for in 1 Timothy 4:16 he writes to Timothy, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” This is wise advice for anyone to follow in the formative years of building a portfolio, developing a resume or pursuing training in a career. The innocence of young adult life is often challenged during this time and it is important to follow your faith and beliefs closely to maintain your spiritual integrity and growth.

 

The third stage of this 100-mile bike ride is grueling as you attempt to ride along Highway 36 and climb up to the parking lot near the summit of Mt. Lassen. You must engage your lower gears and develop patience as you ever so slowly climb up the steep grade. Sweat pours off your brow and you now consume large quantities of fluids as the heat of the day beats down upon your body. The stage of life that corresponds to this part of the ride would be from our late thirties to our late fifties. You have established yourself in a job or career and usually are in the pursuit of paying for a house, establishing a nest egg for retirement and raising a family. Life can be especially grueling during this time as you face challenges in your marriage and attempt to raise children. There are pressures from work that can often be overwhelming. Your commitments to work and your community often attempt to pull you away from your wife or husband and your children, not to mention your relationship with your Lord. James gives us advice for this stage of life when he says in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Paul also encourages us as we face the trials of this stage of life with his words in 2 Corinthians 6:4-10, “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

 

The last and final stage of the century ride involves traveling down from the summit parking lot at breakneck speeds of 45-55mph to end up at Manzanita Lake again. It is a fun part of the ride because you have spent valuable energy to attain the summit and now you can coast down the mountain. The problem is, it is no less dangerous. Your attention must be on the road, proper use of your braking system and anticipating curves. Such is our life from our early sixties on. Just because you can retire from work does not mean you retire from the Christian call to service of our Lord. While the temptations of youth have evaporated, there are other temptations that face us in our twilight years. We can rest on our laurels and let our relationship with the Lord fade or we can continue to grow in spiritual maturity and serve others by letting Christ shine through us. Often during this stage of life we face life-threatening health issues that are just as much of a struggle as other issues were at a younger age.

 

In this leg of the bike ride there were several new dangers I faced. As soon as I began to descend from the summit a thunderstorm ensued. It is quite an experience to be traveling down a steep and curved mountain road with the sky black as night, lightning crackling across the sky and thunder booming in your ears. I felt I had traded relief from physical exertion to one of mental anguish and worry. Then the rain began to fall in torrents. I battled this pouring rain on the slick mountainous road for 12 miles.

 

This last stage of life is not always the life of Riley. It can be just as difficult and worrisome as any other stage and we must continue to rely upon the Lord for strength. The words of Psalms 92:12-15 come to my mind as I think about this stage of life. It says, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’” What a statement! “They will still bear fruit in old age!” The command for all of us in this stage of life is to continue to bear fruit. We must use the wisdom and experiences we have gained in our Christian life over the years to minister to others around us. We can continue to produce a harvest of honor and blessing for our Lord as we live out our lives.

 

I managed to finish this century race enduring the cold, wind, rain and an exploding tree hit by lightning. It was quite an experience. I can’t help but think of one experience. Near the end of my ride I had an experience that seemed to me to be comparable to the encouragement we receive from the Holy Spirit as Christians. While descending from the summit in the pouring rain, barely able to see the road, a station wagon passed by me. As I glanced to look inside the car I noticed a young boy in the back seat. He was watching this middle-aged man peddling in a downpour and took it upon himself to make a most encouraging gesture. With eyes of admiration he raised his hand with a thumb extended up as if to say, “Keep up the fight, finish the race.” The Holy Spirit was given to us as Christians for many reasons, but one of great importance is that He is a comforter and encourager to us as we run the Christian race.

 

Paul in the final days of his life as he faced execution in Rome for preaching the gospel wrote these words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

 

I pray each of us can say the same when we finish our own century ride of life.