Monday, May 9, 2016

I FELL OFF MY BIKE


Oh yes, I did.

Wiped out, pancaked, crashed and burned.

Me and asphalt – new friends.

Would you like to hear the painful story?

(If you're saying yes, shame on you!  However, I would also say yes…)


I celebrated my birthday several days ago.

I turned 62.

"The Hub" and I decided it would be fun to go out of town for a couple of days to celebrate.  And, when you’re celebrating, you might do some out-of-the-ordinary things.

One day we went antiquing.  (I am very lucky that my husband enjoys doing this with me!  A birthday gift in itself!)

We had so much fun!

Sometimes we saw things that we remembered our mothers or grandmothers having, sometimes we saw toys from our childhood, sometimes we saw things that reminded us of our high school years.

It was a great day.

We spent over six hours traversing all the stores, perusing and pursuing potential treasure.

The next day I wanted to go on another sort of adventure – I wanted to go on a bike rideeven though my antique-aching legs were protesting.

We don't go bike riding too much.  

For one thing, living in the mountains makes it more difficult.  Nothing is flat, and the hills are steep.  And, I am "incline-challenged."  Anything more than a 0% rise in elevation and I am toast.

So, it's been several months since I hopped on my bicycle seat.

But, where we were planning to ride our bikes was ALL FLAT.

You can go for miles, and that was our plan.


Things went well for quite a long time.

I enjoyed the fresh air, the cool breeze, and the wonderful sights and sounds.

I enjoyed feeling like a kid again…and since it was the eve of my birthday, this was important.

"Ha, ha, 62 years old – take that!"

(Pride cometh before a fall…)

It was just after we had turned around, maybe a good three miles into the journey, that I made a fatal error in judgment.

We re-encountered a small circular area where bikers and skaters and walkers came to a meeting place.

On our way through the first time (on the going-out phase of our trip), I stopped and got off my bike.

"What are you doing?" my husband asked.

I pointed to the sign that said something to the effect, "Bikers must walk their bikes in this area."

"See," I said.  "And I'm a rule-obeyer."

Yes, well, consider that statement foreshadowing.

When we returned to this area, I didn't feel like stopping.  I was feeling pretty cocky about my skills at that point.  Feeling kinda *fit* in spite of my long bike-riding moratorium.

I saw that there were hardly any pedestrians in the circular area.

And, I noticed a little "driveway" next to a parking area where I could quickly ride through without getting off my bike.

So much for rule-obeying.

Thing is, this little driveway had a bit of a lip in it.  Not much – maybe only an inch or so.  But not completely flat.

No worries.

I remembered distinctly that it was important to approach and ride through this type of obstacle head-on.

You see, years and years (and years) ago, my dad and I used to take long bike rides together from our house to his parents' apartment in the next town.  It took about four hours to make the trip.  Which, in my humble opinion, was pretty impressive as I made the journey on my *one speed, me speed* Schwinn!

But, there was this one trip when he attempted to cross some railroad tracks.

A little too parallel, not enough perpendicular…and BOOM!

He crashed.

Things probably would have been OK if he'd been on a mountain bike.  Those big tires would have saved him.  But alas, he had tiny little skinny *racing bicycle* tires...

Enough said.

(For the record, this incident is not to be confused with the time that he fell when traversing a pothole hidden by blowing sand.  Or the time he crashed into a bridge over a small canal at the beach – a place where for years, every time we went over the bridge, my sons would say, "Look!  There's Papa's paint!"  

In my dad's defense, this incident is also not to be confused with the time that he told me to ride really fast to get up a hill, and not to worry about whether he was behind me.  Well, I did, and turned my head to look back.  My handlebars followed my lead.  And no, my dad wasn't behind me – he was beside me.  Yeah, that.

Nor should this incident be confused with the time that my dad had me hop on his handlebars to ride around a bit.  This, after admonishing me to keep my feet up.  Well, my legs grew tired, I dropped my feet, right into the spokes of the front wheel.  Ahem...)


So, lesson learned, right?!

Maybe not.


Fast forward 50 years, and I remembered this incident, but perhaps not completely enough.

I approached the little driveway at about a 45-degree angle, which I (inaccurately) figured was "enough of an angle" to negotiate it just fine.

Nope.

While I did get up and over the lip, it sent my handlebars gyrating in an out-of-control manner, and headed me straight for the curb only a couple of feet away.

"Houston, we have a problem."

In the next nanosecond that passed like an eternity, my mind raced through possible rescue scenarios.

If I turned sharply to the right, I'd avoid the curb – but the turn would have to be very sharp, and I'd crash.

If I applied my brakes, I might avoid the curb – but the stop would have to be instantaneous, and I'd crash.

I distinctly remember my next thought, "I am going to crash.  How badly am I going to get hurt?"

And then I did.

Taking a sudden fall is a weird thing.  

One second you're up, and the next second you're down.

Your brain is like a stunned computerunable to initially process what just happened.  I had a couple of seconds of preparation, but the moment you find yourself on the ground, something just "does not compute."

I remember looking at the sidewalk – up close and personal.

I remember thinking that "The Hub" was going to be so sad to see me like this.

I remember feeling all the pain, especially my right knee.

I tried to get up, but couldn't move.

And then, my hero was there.

With tears in his eyes he plaintively asked me, "What happened?  Are you all right?"

Well, yes and no.

Thankfully, I knew that I had not hit my head, had not broken any bones, had not sliced anything open, had not knocked out any teeth.

But I knew I was hurt.

My loving husband helped me up, and we slowly – oh, so sloooowly – walked over to a place where I could sit down.

I remember feeling kinda dizzy and very nauseous.

And I remember the pain.

My body – and my injured pride.

That might have been the worst the knowledge that I had made a mistake, even though I knew better.  That I had chosen not to obey the rules and do the safe thing.  That I could have prevented all of it.

I thought about my dad.

My dad, the one who had given me such sage advice about bikes.

And yet, the one who had a reputation for being accident-prone himself.

I could almost hear him saying, "Sharon, what a knothead."

(Takes one to know one…??)


Well, how does the story end?

I had to ride my bike the three miles back to our car.  I returned to the hotel room, took some ibuprofen and iced my knee.

The next day was my birthday.

And instead of counting candles, I counted all the places that hurt…

"One, two, three…sixty-two…and one to grow on."


What spiritual lessons could I draw from this?

Well, there's the obvious –

Be sober-minded and alert.

Be careful to avoid false pride.

Be obedient to the rules.

But, the other day as I was driving in the car and listening to a local Christian radio station, I heard something that hit me right between the eyes.

They had a man sharing his story.

He said that he always listened to the radio station every day on his way to work.

But on one particular day, he listened and his heart was moved.  He decided to turn his life over to the Lord, not just as his Savior, but as the Lord of his life.

Later that same day, on the job, he fell 26 feet into a pitlanded on his stomachand lived.

He recounted how several of the workers in the bottom of the pit said that they saw angels soften his fall.

He ended his story with this line:

"Angels kept me from falling as hard as I should have."


I ponder this.

After my fall, I was hurting.  

But I was also grateful.  

Things could have been so much worse.  My injuries could have been terrible.  And though my pride took a blow, in the end, I was still relatively intact.

I wonder now – did God send an angel to protect me?

Years ago I read Frank Peretti's two classic books, "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness."

And I vividly remember one scene when a car careens down a mountainside, narrowly missing a head-on collision at one point.  Later we get to see behind-the-scenes, and find out that an angel kept the car from crashing.

A timely angelic shove to safety.

Fiction, yes.

But I wonder…

Could this have happened to me?

Maybe, maybe not.

I have no need or desire to enter into a theological discussion or debate over the individual work of angels in the life of a believer.  I don't know enough to say for sure that we are each assigned our own personal guardian angel.

It matters not, perhaps.

What matters is thisI do believe that sometimes God allows bad things to happen to us, but they are kept from being as bad as they could be.

Think of Job.

Twice God limited the scope of what He allowed Satan to do.

"'All right, you may test him,' the LORD said to Satan.  'Do whatever you want…BUT…'" (Job 1:12, NLT)

"'All right, do with him as you please,' the LORD said to Satan.  'BUT…'" 
(Job 2:6, NLT)


We may never know this side of eternity how many times we are protected in our circumstances.  How many times we are spared, saved, rescued, shielded, preserved, delivered.

How many times the worst-case scenario could be so much worse.

But isn't.

How many times we don't fall as hard as we should.


This is the spiritual lesson that I have drawn from my bike accident.

That God is my Protector, and I thank Him for the many unknown times when He just may have saved me from injury or disaster, from pain and sorrow, from certain death.

He alone knows the times appointed for me.

And nothing happens too early or too late.

Nothing happens outside of His watchful eye.  

Nothing happens beyond what His hand allows.

Nothing happens that is not for my ultimate good.

I have learned another step of faith and trust which ironically happened when my steps were hindered by the pain of an accident.


God has ways of teaching His most precious lessons.

Thanks, Father, for teaching me…



Do you have a story when God protected you from *something worse*?





Be thankful the photo choice
is this...
It could have been
my knee.


"These bruises make for
better conversation...
Everybody loses, we all got bruises
We all got bruises."

("Bruises" by Train)


"Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14, NIV)

"For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.  They will hold you up with their hands…" (Psalm 91:11-12, NLT)

"He will guard the feet of his faithful servants…" (1 Samuel 2:9, NIV)

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them." (Psalm 34:7, NIV)

"In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them.  In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them…" (Isaiah 63:9, NIV)

"'See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.'" (Exodus 23:20, NLT)

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13, NIV)

"Having hope will give you courage.  You will be protected and will rest in safety." (Job 11:18, NLT)

"…let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." (Psalm 5:11, NIV)



Linked with:

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BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

41 comments:

  1. so glad that you are in the world dear, love you

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  2. Been there done that. Mine was a dog (once) and the most injurious. The others were my failure to unclip my pedals. I do hope you were wearing a helmet. If not, I may have to come out there and knock some sense into you. :) Glad you are ok Sharon. Just get back on. And yes, pride comes before a fall.

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  3. Ouch!! Glad the injuries were "minor" ones but an ache is an ache! Happy belated birthday!! I do agree that nothing happens outside of his watchful eye of what he wants us to experience or go through and that he does allow us sometimes to stumble but not completely injure ourselves in how he will protect us.

    hope you are feeling better by now!

    betty

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  4. Hi Sharon! Happy Birthday! I guess this is one you'll not forget for a while. I hope you are mending well, and being good to yourself? A little rest is like a miracle for our bodies, they are stronger than we think.
    I was so touched by your husband's reaction to your fall. What a sweetheart! I'm sure you were in some type of shock, and how you made it three miles back to the car is an 'angel story' for sure.
    It's good to get lessons from everything, and you are sharing your hard-won wisdom. God bless! I know you'll be well soon, and hey, let's be careful out there!
    Wishing you God's healing grace,
    Ceil

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  5. Happy Birthday, Sharon!
    Oh, my, what a way to learn a lesson. Owweee! Hope you are feeling much better at this point.
    Thanks for reminding us that no matter what happens in life, God is with us through it all. And yes, things could be so much worse when we go through the hard times; we simply need to pray and thank Him for all His protection.
    Blessings!

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  6. Hi Sharon, I probably sound like a broken record, but you have an uncanny gift of mixing humor with sound Biblical lessons and practical application. I appreciate your posts so very much!

    I am glad you were spared serious injury.

    I have definitely had several situations in a car, where I think to myself, "When I get to heaven the Lord is going to show me how He protected me." because in human terms, it just didn't even make sense how it didn't end in a horrific car crash as in one instance, we were coming around the bend on a country road, the other lane to the left of us and a rock wall to the right, with a big truck barreling down the road cutting the corner to tight and in our lane. It was as if the car shrunk to allow us through unscathed!!

    Praising God for His tender mercies each and every day. :-)

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  7. What a great perspective, to see we aren't hurt as badly as we could be. May you heal quickly!

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  8. First of all, I'm glad you were spared more serious injuries...and yes, I have had too many incidents to count, especially in my young and stupid years...most definitely some of them could have been deadly even. But just yesterday I found out my youngest son in TN was on a steep trail on his 4 wheeler. Yep, you guessed it. A rock on the trail was dislodged and the thing went head over heels with him on it, and landed on him right before he was able to be free of it. It toppled over at least 3-4 more times off the side of the ridge and landed feet first in his field, popping one of the tires off on impact. Yeah...scary stuff! He thought his hand was broken but only bruised badly, thank the Lord. Oh my, what a miracle... yes...it could have taken his life...and not the thing I wanted to hear on Mother's Day! I kept envisioning a worse scenario... I get one son back and lose the other one type of scenario! Scary stuff....BUT GOD!! I do hope you have no lingering injuries from this, my friend! Hugs to you for your knee injury and your damaged ego (smile)...love you!

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  9. Just so we're clear, I wouldn't want to hear this on ANY day...Mother's Day or not :)

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  10. Happy birthday, Sharon! I think your greatest present that day was protection! Your story is personal to me because on my way to a memorial service, I parked in the wrong church lot. No problem here, I thought walking across a hill. I slipped and fell. It was the only time I was grateful for all the padding on my fanny. I was not hurt or even black & blue. My neck cracked a little bit the next day and Aleve gave me relief. I applied your spiritual lesson. I remember thinking how glad I am starting my day putting my armor on. I was protected too.

    I hope you are feeling better and I wish you a year full of happiness ahead. Birthday hugs!

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  11. Oh, dear friend! I am SO sorry this awful accident happened to you! OH, my heart does go out to you! I am so very thankful that God did protect you and shield your fall and didn't allow you to get hurt worse or break any bones. Happy Belated Birthday to you! So grateful you got to get away and be with your dear hubby for a while. He sounds so compassionate and kind. Sending you much love and many hugs and praying for you.

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  12. Happy Birthday and sorry about your accident. You have a great sense of humor. If we don't laugh we'll cry and sometimes we just need to do both. Glad you're okay!

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  13. What a sweet and funny story. I could feel you laughing at yourself as you told it, and then was so touched when you told about your husband's reaction. I was a nanny when I was 20, and one day I randomly crashed my bike on the way to the children's house. It was so embarrassing, but the understanding they met me with was so sweet. It was a problem they understood! Blessings on your birthday!

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  14. Yes, I do believe the angels prevented this from being worse. Often we get that nudge to obey the rules, and when we fail to act upon that warning, we do suffer. I don't think God punishes us, but some things might have been avoided. I had that nudge to take my flashlight on a midnight walk for our dogs, but thought, oh no I can see well enough. Famous last words, and I still have a chip under the skin on my eyebrow where I cracked my head open when I fell. Angels kept me also from it being worse.
    I haven't rode a bike in years, but your story reminded me when as a girl, I loved to ride my bike. Oh yes, Happy Birthday and 62 is a wonderful age. Thank you for sharing your exciting story with us here at Tell me a Story.

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  15. I'm so glad you weren't seriously hurt! Yes, I believe angels are around us and do protect us. Falling is so much scarier as we age, the old "did I break a hip" fear and all.

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  16. Believe it or not, I don't know how to ride a bike so this didn't happen to me. Glad you're okay though. You are well-protected and guided and loved.

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  17. This happened to me a couple of summers ago, Sharon. I was 53 at the time. I've since given my almost-new bike away. Decided walking was safer - for me and everyone else! Enjoyed your story and your willingness to be transparent. (Visiting today from #RaRaLinkup)

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  18. Oh my, I am so sorry. I've been wanting to get a bike but we are at the top of a hill. I'll be 65 in October....but I want to go for bike ride!!! I saw one on sale at Target this week. I can relate to some of the things you said. I fell at the show last week. One minute up next one down. I got up right away and I was okay but it really bothered me. At first I thought, this is not who I am. I'm not the old lady who falls down!!! Actually my shoe had caught on the metal piece of the stair. It wasn't a senior moment but getting older is suddenly scaring me......

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  19. I am reading this again in the morning....please tell me I didn't miss your birthday..ugh!

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  20. Oh, Sharon ... Sharon ... I'm so sorry to hear you took a dive into the concrete. :( I know you will be sore for some time to come, but, as you stated, it could have been so much worse. I'm praying for a speedy recovery, sweet friend.

    Ironically, just today, while helping The Man clean out the garage, I decided to hop on the bike we bought for our daughter recently. She's a few inches taller, but not that much. However, the seat was so high I almost took a tumble myself, which would not have gone over well in these parts. I did the smart thing and scratched the whole idea. All I need is a broken bone at my age.

    I loved this post and your thoughts, as always.

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  21. I have had a bad fall too when I took my brother's bike without his permission and he told me I could not ride his bike. Anyway, I broke an arm, but God sent rescuers to get me home from over two miles away with wrecked bike and wrecked pride.

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  22. Happy belated birthday, Sharon. I'm so glad you're okay and that your fall wasn't worse. Amazing how God could take an incident like that and turn it into a spiritual lesson. For you and for us. We would do well to pay attention. :-)
    Thanks for sharing.
    Happy to be your neighbour at #IntentionalTuesday

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  23. Hi Sharon, as per usual, you had me chuckling. One thing I love about visiting over here is that you always turn every event into a life lesson. Amen, God is our protection!
    God bless
    Tracy

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  24. I'm so, so sorry you took a tumble. Oh, my. And yes, it could have been much, much worse! I do hope you recover speedily, and it's good to find good in bad situations...as you always do. Happy belated birthday!

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  25. Oh no!!! I'm so sorry to hear this! I know how it feels, but I know the feeling of the surreal nature of accidents and the sovereign hands of God directing His angels to keep us from getting to banged up.

    I was ran over by a 6,000 pound forklift... limped away.

    Last year my wife and I were riding bikes up and down the coast and lost each other on PCH. My wife was hit by a car in a 50 mph zone. A witness saw her bike spin through the air, crash, and skid across the intersection. The driver prayed with her... she barely had a couple of scrapes...

    Miracles are real and they happen everyday. Thanks for the reminder of how we're supposed to see this world.

    How I love your stories... thanks for the practical application through your pain, sister.

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  26. Happy Birthday, Sharon! But sorry about the bike wreck. I remember back in the day when my bell bottom pant legs would get stuck in my bike chain and I’d crash to the ground. I’m glad you weren’t seriously injured in your fall! Praying for a full recovery and quickly.

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  27. Sorry to hear about your fall! There is nothing like being up one minute and down the next!
    Found your post today on 100 Days.
    Hope you have a blessed day~
    Melanie

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  28. Sharon, I'm glad your fall wasn't any worse. Our pride is what hurts the worst when things like this happens. Thank you for linking up with Thankful Thursdays.

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  29. Hi Sharon! I'm glad you were in the link-up spot before me! You title alone made me curios, and now to read you words is both humorous and encouraging. I love your spiritual truths, especially that God is my protector!!! You should link up on Fresh Market Friday...it would be a joy to have you share your message:) Crystal~

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  30. Ouch! I'm glad you weren't hurt any worse and hope you feel better soon! I love your writing style--it made me laugh :)

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  31. Hi Sharon! I found your blog through Friendship Friday at Create With Joy.

    I have several instances:
    1. My van slid/skidded off the road (going backwards) and continued turning up a hill. I landed just over the crest of the hill and could not open the driver's door. I crawled out the other side and saw I was in the one spot for 50' in either direction maybe where there was a short little guardrail, which prevented the van from rolling down the steep hill.
    2) On my 3rd and last pregnancy, early on I started bleeding one night at work. While waiting for the Dr in the ER, I surrendered to God's will and immediately felt peaceful. Now, my daughter is 13 years old.
    3) When she was a couple days old, I had some people from my church come in to give her a blessing, right in the NICU. Immediately, she began to improve and we were able to take her home after only 22 days (about half the time we were told to expect, and only weighing 4 lbs. They said she was healthy enough and they needed the space!

    Thanks for bringing these memories back to me today, Sharon. Have a great weekend!

    Here's my Friendship Friday post.

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  32. I love how you tell a story! But I'm so sorry you had that fall. I'm glad you were not hurt worse. Have a great weekend and thanks for sharing at #LMMLinkup!

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  33. Sorry you had such a terrible spill, but such important lessons you've gleaned. Thank you from #livefreeThursday linkup.

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  34. Visitng from Make My Saturday Sweet. Happy belated birthday, and I am so happy that you weren't hurt too badly. I've often wondered the same thing about angelic assistance in times like that, and Frank Peretti is my favorite author. I wish he would come out with a new book!

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  35. So thankful for God's hand of protection in our lives. I was really aware of it recently when our tire fell off on the interstate and no one got hurt. Thanks for sharing at the #LMMLinkup.

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  36. Many birthday blessings to you, Sharon. I had my 63rd birthday in February, I'm an empty-nester and have a sweet beagle, too! In 2008, I was driving home when a van pulled out of a side street to my left, just as I was passing by, about to T-bone me in my drivers door. I turned the steering wheel to the right, looked ahead and saw a large oak tree I was headed straight for, so I turned the steering wheel more to the right, barely missing the oak tree, an orange tree, and stopped when my car hit the back wall of a house, where no one was home, and no one was in the backyard. The woman driving the van was charged, and I was uninjured. I know I couldn't have steered my car around two trees on my own, Jesus obviously took the wheel. He is with me always, protecting me from many accidents I'm sure, praise His Holy Name. Many blessings to you!

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  37. Belated Happy Birthday wishes, Sharon! Glad you are able to see the hand of God even in this unfortunate accident. I have seen God rescue me and my loved ones over and over. Of course, my battle with cancer this past year is my most recent example. Things could have been far, far worse. God is so good to me. I just have to praise and thank Him.

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  38. I am glad you are okay and Happy Belated Birthday! It is amazing how God does protect us. I have had several bad things happen to me, but He is always turn them into blessings somehow. Thanks for sharing your encouragement with #SocialButterflySunday! Hope to see you link up again this week :)

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  39. Happy Belated Birthday, friend. So glad you were okay after the fall. And btw, I have found a new love for antique shopping. It was something hubs already enjoyed so it's great that we now both enjoy doing it together. We've done quite a bit lately in our travels. If you find a cool looking globe... I'm on the hunt!!!

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"So [I] have been greatly encouraged in the midst of [my] troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives [me] new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How [I] thank God for you!" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!

(NOTE: Anonymous comments will be removed. Thank you for understanding.)