Slipped chain and a flat tire

I needed a break the other day, so I left the kids with my husband and went for a quick bike ride. After about a mile, my chain fell off. I jumped down and fixed it and jumped back on. Then when I was just getting back to my neighborhood, I got a flat tire. I was frustrated for a few seconds, but there was nothing I could do but walk it home, and since I was out for a break from kids, it didn't matter if it took me a few extra minutes. 

I always used to think of challenges in life as a lesson I needed to learn. If I could fix the chain quick, or learn the life lesson, then I could hop back on and be on my way. But what about the flat tires? I couldn't fix it, all I could do is walk it. I could be angry, I could envy those zipping by on their perfect bikes. I could give up. But instead I walked it home. As I walked I thought about the challenges my life was presenting me with. Challenges that aren't fair, and don't seem to have a lesson other than 'life is hard.' Instead of looking for the lesson in the pain, I've learned that dealing with that pain means I may have a different purpose in life than I had planned for myself. When something out of my control to fix happens, I now accept that that is the path my Father wants me on. The work I have to do for the kingdom lies on the path I'm on, and that's enough for me. 

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