My 40th birthday party was a wonderful whirlwind. We hosted over 100 people. The food truck, coffee truck, and great weather were all a hit. To decompress after the party, I mountain biked the "Phase 2" trail.
Prayer and reflection occupied my ride. Prayers of gratitude as I reflected on the party, but even more so the past few years. Following God has been an adventure. In our late 30s, we changed a few things. Well, more like most things:
None of it was easy. I feared failure when I went all-in on my business. We had plenty of fears for our kids. Leaving a church full of friends was painful. Maintaining control is comfortable. Giving up control feels like leaning into the unknown.
Looking back it is easy to see God's hand—a successful business, a peaceful property, a great church culture, and a wonderful homeschool experience. So I bounced between thanking God and asking him "why?" Why the blessing? Why the favor? I felt undeserving but grateful. He answered with a sweet analogy.
Mountain bikes have two gears:
God compared the main gear to who controls our life. Level 1 means we are keeping control—of our choices, priorities and direction. And the secondary gear is how we approach life. Level 1 is a bit lazy and level 7 is full steam ahead with hard work, discipline, and intentionality.
You can achieve a lot at a "1-7." You can have a great career, strong relationships, and good health. The harder you work at something, the more likely you are to achieve it.
But Level 2 is like letting God control some of your life. Starting to follow His Spirit and guiding your decisions. God was showing me that, over the past few years, we have started to approach life at a Level 2.
When I taught my son how bike gears work, I advised him to think about multiples. The main gear is a multiplier. A small change there transforms everything the secondary gear can do.
Even our hardest effort under our own control can't match what happens when we let go—even a little. A 1-2 is not as fast as a 2-1. Anytime we change the main gear, there is a noticeable difference. We are giving up some control for better output. Some of the hills may be more challenging, but you can only go so fast when your main gear is at level 1.
God was making it clear—the blessings were a result of us letting go and following His lead. When you mix human effort with God's direction, like a level 2-7, the results are more meaningful than anything we can obtain under our own control.
As I approached the halfway point of my ride, I smiled and thanked God for this analogy. But, oddly enough, I started to struggle on the bike. I was getting exhausted. Apparently the party drained my energy as I slipped on easy roots and drifted off the trail. So, I had to take a shortcut home, not able to complete the full trail.
I felt God whisper—Imagine if you tried living life at Level 3.