Summer over. Kids back at school. Bike intact. Me intact. Dark in the evenings. Slippery underfoot.
Biking in the dark, even when you have a super-duper LED front light and a flashing red one on the rear. Not all of the Peterborough cycleways are lit, so you come to rely on your front light especially. There are some lovely blue LED lights sunk into the ground near Orton Mere – presumably to prevent cyclists from falling onto the river. It is surprising how vulnerable I feel (never a bad thing) when riding in the pitch black. I am on the lookout for two things; first, where the path is headed (which sounds easier than it is in reality because in the dark you travel slower and therefore the features that you look out for in the daytime don’t appear as quickly as you expect. What looks an obvious path in the daytime – where for example there is an intersection, is not so obvious at night. Meanwhile, the other hazard to look out for is wet leaves. The combination of all this at once can be quite disconcerting.
I find something quite profound in all of this. John in his gospel reminds us how Jesus says that he is the light of the word. We are reliant on him, just as I am completely reliant on my front light on a bike. I am also struck at how, whilst Jesus is the light of the World, the disciples still struggle to find their way. Just like the light on my bike, God gives them enough to find their way, but not so much that life is easy. As we travel, we take care. We can see the path, We are on the lookout for obstacles. We have a final destination in mind. The timing and scenery can be strange, unsettling even. But we journey on. For long periods there can be nothing else to light the path. Then we might be relieved as the path opens out – and the streetlamps take over. Of course, God could, if He wanted light the entire way for us. But I am not sure I would like that simplicity. I actually enjoy the journey. I enjoy a challenge. I even enjoy having to focus on keeping my balance rather than being preoccupied with the ‘worries’ of work.
When I think about how God is leading us as a circuit, I get the same feeling as I do when I ride at night, It is a curious mix of planning a route, breaking it up into stages, looking out for the waymarkers that say you are on the right track, and accepting that we live with the tensions of having enough information, but wanting to know more! And we do it because ultimately it is fulfilling and enjoyable. Is God calling you to do something new? Be encouraged and take a step of faith. God has great things in store.