Bicycles and God
Do you know how to ride a bicycle? Up until a year ago I thought I did, but since then I’ve learned there is a whole lot more to it than just peddling and staying upright.
My education began when I bought an old, I mean really old, Western Flyer from a neighbor down the street and started riding almost every day. My neighbor, who sold me the bike, is a former professional bicyclist who rode in races all over the world. He took me on as a project and under his tutelage I’ve learned that riding a bike is a bit more complicated than just taking off the training wheels. He explained to me the importance of a properly adjusted seat, where the bend of my legs can operate at maximum efficiency. He showed me the necessity of inflating my tires correctly, depending on the type of terrain I was traversing. He warned me to wear a helmet, and, when I ride in my neighborhood, to stay in the middle of the street where cars can see me. He attached a small bell on my handle bars to ring when approaching other bikes or people. He even fastened a tail light that flashed red to make me more visible, as motorists tend to ignore bicyclist. My head was swimming.
When I upgraded my Western Flyer to a new model a few months ago, my friend instilled in me the importance of having the right kind of shoes and peddles so that my feet could lock in, allowing me to peddle without putting too much stress on my legs. He emphasized over and over to pull up with my legs as well as to push down when peddling. I learned about gears and when to use the low gears and when to shift to the higher gears.
My neighbor’s expertise opened my eyes to things about bicycles and bike riding that I never knew before. He is a professional when it comes to bikes and knows virtually everything there is to know. He has raced bikes in competition, worked on bikes and sold bikes for the greater part of his life. Bikes are second-nature to him.
I wish I had that kind of expertise when it comes to God and matters of faith, but I don’t. Like most ordained ministers I graduated from college and seminary where I studied theology, philosophy, church history, biblical languages, hermeneutics and other subjects that help prepare pastors for the rigors of church life. I read major theologians both past and present and subscribed to the best theological journals to stay up to date. I spend time in prayer and read my Bible daily. But, still, I’m no expert on God.
The truth of the matter is, the more I read, the more I learn, and the more I pray, the less confident I am in what I think I know about God. Sometimes when I listen to tapes of my old sermons, I cringe with embarrassment. I spoke with such authority, such confidence, as if I had God all figured out. Figure out God? Come on, get real! God is just too big. Why do we preachers feel that we have to speak about God with authority? There are no authorities when it comes to God.
Near the end of his life the brilliant theologian Thomas Aquinas, who has shaped both Catholic and Protestant theology with his library of written books, threw down his quill and announced to his friends, “Everything I have written is as straw.” The renowned theologian recognized that God was far beyond even the best and most dedicated minds and hearts. When it comes to God, there are no experts.
So, should we just give up and rely merely on our feelings and emotions in the life of faith? No, of course not. God created us with minds to think and reason, to write beautiful prose and poetry, to explore the heavens and seek to understand the workings of nature. There is immense value in learning. It is what separates us from God’s other creatures. But in all our learning, we will never become experts on God.
I have found, in fact, that the more we read our Bibles and the learned writings of others, the more humble we will become. We will grow to be less arrogant, less dogmatic, about our assumptions and more open, compassionate and understanding toward those who think differently. The more we learn, the greater our appreciation for the majesty and mystery of God.
Maybe people can become experts in certain areas, like bicycles and such. But when it comes to God, we will all remain as little children. God is just too big. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways, and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.
Yet God has revealed one rule that allows us to keep our spiritual balance, a command to help us stay on course in the life of faith. We refer to this rule as the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We can never know all the intricacies of what it means to believe in God, but if we treat other people the way we want to be treated, we will take a big step toward pleasing God. Jesus said that all the teachings of the Law and the prophets can be summed up in that one Golden Rule.
This profound spiritual truth is found in both Judaism and Christianity and, interestingly, is at the heart of all the world’s great religions—Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. It is as if God wants everyone in the world to be an expert in this one thing.
I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to have any chance on being an expert, I definitely need more practice.
