The ‘Cycle’ of Life

by Debbie Allen

History offers no man a more unique gift than that of a bicycle. This priceless set of wheels began as a simple walking machine known as the Hobby Horse; back in the early 1800’s. Today’s bicycle has gradually evolved into a modern day two-wheel miracle structure, whose framework flaunts the very secrets to living a successful life! No one will ever find a visible set of these ‘instructions’ inside any box containing the parts of a brand-new bicycle. Such secrets are well disguised, but well worth the effort it takes to discover them. You see, most anyone can learn to ride a bicycle, but to grasp the ‘magic’ involved in learning to pedal with purpose across the paths of time…THAT is where the secret lies.

Everything I ever wanted to know about a bicycle, I learned from my dad. One hot summer afternoon, I remember my dad dumping hundreds of loose pieces of metal from an over-sized cardboard box, into a pile on our front porch. My eight-year-old brain swam aimlessly around in that metallic sea of confusion. Dad seemed to understand it all. With skillful hands he assembled each piece, glancing occasionally over at a paper scrawled with thousands of tiny, meaningless words and confusing diagrams. Dad proved himself a real miracle-worker that day! From my perspective, he took metal from cardboard and referring every so often to a piece of paper… he created my first bike!

“There you go, Debbie. It’s all yours!” he said, standing it up in front of me.

I paid my dad in hundreds that day! Hundreds of times of squealing, “Thank you…thank you…thank you!” while jumping up and down a hundred times more! I marveled at her beauty as I stood before my bike with my dad. Her radiant blue color struck me so, I went on to name her, “Big Blue!” From that moment on she became for me an adventure waiting to happen.

Oddly enough, the first adventure that Big Blue and I shared was just trying to keep her upright. My Dad positioned me on the seat, put the pedals in an up-down position, and held me steady.

“Let me go, Daddy! Just let me go!” I cried with confidence. As the front wheels rolled forward, I could hear my dad trying to warn me.

“Are you sure you don’t need these training wheels?” he hollered.

By the time Dad spit out his last word, I’d already wibbled and wobbled my way into a three-foot deep ditch. Though I landed in soft green grass, my pride was brutally shattered. Big Blue went down, and she took me with her…or had it been the other way around?

In the days to come, my dad spent countless hours coaxing, coaching, and chasing me up and down the driveway. His hand never failed to steady me when I leaned a little too much one way or another. And I always did. For every time I managed to keep Big Blue upright, I fell down five more times. I became well acquainted with what my dad called the “ground rules!”

“It’s ok.” he often repeated. “Falling is just part of the learning process. One of these days soon you’ll catch the magic!” he assured me with a smile.

Hills of discouragement heaped themselves all around me. I spent hours in these hills in the beginning stages of befriending my Schwinn. In those moments of doubt, I often sought refuge in the sounds of Dad’s voice, echoing from hilltop to hilltop.

“One of these days, you and Big Blue will become the best of friends!” Dad promised me.

Two weeks later, Big Blue and I did share our first moment of true friendship as I sailed upright, down the full length of our gravel driveway! Elated, I skidded to a halt and turned to find Dad jumping up and down at the other end of the driveway, giving me two thumbs-up! He paid ME in hundreds that day! Hundreds of times of yelling out, “Good job, Sweetie…good job!” “You just needed to keep pedaling!”

F-i-n-a-l-l-y, my young heart grasped the principles he’d been trying to instill in me all along. My Dad believed in me from the very beginning…even when I didn’t. The sounds of his voice, not too far behind me, helped to keep me in proper balance between Big Blue’s wheels. My dad never did let me buckle under the idea that the task was too big for me to master. After all, he knew what I could accomplish under the loving guidance of his hand.

Big Blue and I began a ride that day which has carried me from childhood into my adult years. For me, my bi-cycle proved itself to be among the most significant of all the cycles of life. Its framework has provided the support system I needed for learning balance in life, and the unwritten instructions for living it successfully.

You see, I still wibble and wobble my way across Life’s pathways. I am forever running ahead of my Heavenly Father crying out, “Let me go! Just let me go!” (“Pride ends in a fall…”Proverbs 29:23 LAB). I fall!

From the midst of the ditch, I hear His Voice asking me, “Are you sure you don’t need the training wheels?” (“There is a way which seems right to a man, but it’s end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:23 LAB).

Over my lifetime, my Heavenly Father has spent countless hours rescuing, wooing, and instructing me along bumpy roads, blind curves, and dead ends. Frequently, in my own discouragement, I have heard His Voice whispering softly in my ear, “It’s ok…falling is just a part of life’s learning process. Keep on pedaling, and one of these days you’ll catch the magic!”

Do you know what I’ve discovered that ‘magic’ to be? It is the unfailing Promise of His Hand, always there to steady me. My Father’s Hand…nothing short of an invisible wall holding me upright throughout Life’s Journey.

Everything I learned in life about riding my bicycle, I learned from my dad. Everything I learned on my bicycle about living my life, I learned from my Heavenly Father. My bicycle is still that beautiful piece of machinery from whose framework I gleaned the secrets of living a successful life. From childhood to becoming a child of God, the message remains the same. “Trust your Father’s Hand…hear your Father’s Voice.” Discover the magic and experience the freedom that comes when you f-i-n-a-l-l-y find yourself balancing upright between the Wheels of Life. Hear your Father calling out to you from behind, ” Just keep pedaling…but pedal now with greater purpose across the Pathways of Time!”

“But with

[my Father]

all things are

possible!”

(Matthew 19:26 b)

(This story is dedicated to the memory of my dad, Norman Hutton, 1934-2025, on Father’s Day 2025)

Dad…though your earthly story has ended,

all the love and cherished memories

you’ve left behind will live on in

our hearts forever!

” A life well-lived leaves a lasting light.”

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!