Psalm 16:11, New International Version

You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

One Upon a Tandem

When I invited Jesus on my bicycle-built-for-two, I assumed He'd pedal. Instead, He's dead weight. He's slowing me down. I wonder why I ever let Him on in the first place.

Finally, I turn and say, “How come you never pedal?” With a wink and a smile He replies, “I thought you'd never ask.” And so life is better. Easier. Pedaling with Jesus, I get where I'm going faster than ever. Still, my carefully chosen destinations are never as good as I imagined.

Suddenly, I realize that He's been whispering directions to me the whole time. When I take His advice, we wind up on short cuts and smooth black top, and all roads seem to go downhill. Then, when I get tired of pedaling, I put my feet up on the handlebars and it turns out that I've been slowing Him down! He never gets tired.

Nothing, I decide, could be better than tandem biking with Jesus as co-pilot. But, I'm wrong. The real fun begins when I stop the bike and ask Jesus to take the front seat – handlebars and all.

Since then, I've never looked back. And my oh my, the places He takes me. The sights I see. The scenic routes. The side roads. The bumpy trails. The dizzying mountaintops. The green valleys. All places I would have missed.

Oh, I still have my own handlebars and sometimes I hang on for dear life. But, on tandem bikes those back handlebars can't steer at all. So, I go where Jesus goes. And I wouldn't have it any other way.