I can remember that
feeling of the wind blowing through my hair and the sheer thrill of knowing
that if I was willing to pedal hard enough, I could go anywhere I wanted to
go-anywhere, that is, within the boundaries my parents set for me. At the ripe age of nine, I barely remember
doing anything but bike riding. While
it seems like exercise to older folks, a bike is pure freedom-on-wheels in the
hands of a child.
Recently, we have
relocated to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was a big move for our
family, but we knew the Lord was leading us to this new place.
Since the move, my
girls have experienced a lot of new freedoms, especially bike riding. In Florida, the parsonage was not located in
an area with sidewalks or a safe place to ride. So other than circling the
church parking lot, at times when I could watch them, they were never able to
ride. Here, we live on a dead end
street with very little traffic and lots of sidewalks.
They are riding constantly. The picture is
always the same. Claire leading the pack, while Ella works hard to keep up,
steering her bike with one hand, and holding her silky draped around her with
the other.
Silky has been a part of Ella’s life since she joined our family. Actually, Silky is Silky II since Silky I mysteriously disappeared in a party store. It took weeks to get Silky II to smell just right, but after a few washes and some love, Silky II made the cut. As she has grown up, Silky has been seen less and less frequently, serving only as a comfort at night. Since we’ve moved however, Silky has become a constant companion, wrapped around Ella’s neck like a shawl, going everywhere she goes. At first, I thought she just needed time to adjust to her new surroundings while keeping the familiar wrapped close by, but now that we are approaching six weeks here, I am beginning to wonder if we will need to coordinate bridesmaid’s dresses with Silky’s pink hue when the time comes.
Silky has been a part of Ella’s life since she joined our family. Actually, Silky is Silky II since Silky I mysteriously disappeared in a party store. It took weeks to get Silky II to smell just right, but after a few washes and some love, Silky II made the cut. As she has grown up, Silky has been seen less and less frequently, serving only as a comfort at night. Since we’ve moved however, Silky has become a constant companion, wrapped around Ella’s neck like a shawl, going everywhere she goes. At first, I thought she just needed time to adjust to her new surroundings while keeping the familiar wrapped close by, but now that we are approaching six weeks here, I am beginning to wonder if we will need to coordinate bridesmaid’s dresses with Silky’s pink hue when the time comes.
I am a little
worried.
There are several
reasons why the constant presence of Silky is becoming and issue.
First, what once was a comforting recognizable aroma now STINKS! This girl has taken the smell factor to the extreme and carrying Silky to all the places it shouldn’t be has caused it to smell.. bad.
Secondly, it’s a constant worry to make sure Silky doesn’t get lost or left behind somewhere when we are out. It is seriously hard enough to grocery shop with one eye on two kids while trying to keep an eye on a silky as well. It’s distracting!
Lastly, it holds her back.
I watch perched from our front porch deck as the girls ride down the street. Ella is still lagging behind. She is pedaling as hard as she can. She desperately wants to embrace her new freedom, but she can only steer with one hand, while holding on to the familiar, even though the familiar stinks.
First, what once was a comforting recognizable aroma now STINKS! This girl has taken the smell factor to the extreme and carrying Silky to all the places it shouldn’t be has caused it to smell.. bad.
Secondly, it’s a constant worry to make sure Silky doesn’t get lost or left behind somewhere when we are out. It is seriously hard enough to grocery shop with one eye on two kids while trying to keep an eye on a silky as well. It’s distracting!
Lastly, it holds her back.
I watch perched from our front porch deck as the girls ride down the street. Ella is still lagging behind. She is pedaling as hard as she can. She desperately wants to embrace her new freedom, but she can only steer with one hand, while holding on to the familiar, even though the familiar stinks.
What once was used to comfort her now enslaves her.
And as I look down from my porch I cannot help but feel sad for her.
She is my child, and I want her to experience the freedom that I have allowed her. I want her to know the joy that comes from that freedom. I want her to let go of the familiar so she can ride free with both hands on the handlebars.
And then, that still, small Voice asks the same of me.
“My child, are YOU
willing to let go of the familiar in order to experience a new freedom in Me?”
I have held onto the familiar until it STINKS.
I have been so afraid of losing the familiar that it has
distracted me from doing what I am called to do.
I have let the familiar hold me back, even enslave me, and
keep me from experiencing new freedoms that He has allowed for me.
” IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].” Galatians 5:1 (AMP)
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