Looking to the Future

This is a great article written by the Senior Minister at the Union Church of Hinsdale about letting go of the past and stepping into the future. Take a read and let me know what you think.

Always Learning,
-joel

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That Old Red Bike
by Verlee A. Copeland

Letting go is hard to do. It’s hard to let go of the past, even when something new, something better, is already emerging or in place. Let me tell you about my bicycle.

When I was 25 years old, I received an Astro-Daimler bicycle as a gift from someone who loved me. It was a beauty. Bright red with gold lettering, sleek and fast, with strong brakes and crisp gears. It was my first grown-up bicycle, built for me, and made to last.
Now, nearly thirty years later, it’s time to let it go. My husband gave me a gorgeous new bike for Christmas, better suited to Chicago’s terrain, still fast and well made, much better suited to my aging physique, easier on the back and safer on the streets. I’m growing to love my new bike. It’s just right for me. What’s not to like?

Therefore, I found myself baffled at my own resistance to letting go of that old bike. [The Union Church] Re-sale was coming and it was the perfect time to help my beloved old bike find a new home. After the spring garage cleaning, I rode the aging beauty (the bike, not the rider) over to Union Church with the intention of leaving it in the dining room for re-sale. It didn’t make it any further than my office. There it sat for over a month. I couldn’t quite bring myself to walk it down the hall. Finally one night after work, I rode it back home.
For half the summer we shuffled the lawn mower around the old red bike. “This is ridiculous”, I thought, and once again rode the bike back to the church. This time it lasted a week in my office, no luck making it down the hall. I told myself I was stuck for transportation and instead of making the walk back home, hopped on the bike once again.

End of summer approached and it was time to make a change. I knew it was time; my family, who regularly walked around the serviceable but outdated bike, knew it was time. One beautiful morning in spring I took her out for a final spin and farewell, or so I thought. Yet, I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. This time she made it as far as an office down the hall, out of sight, out of mind. But at the end of the day, I couldn’t let go.

You see that bike was a mobile scrapbook of my life. Through those early years of adulthood I fell in love on that bike, when my babies were born they accompanied me to graduate school in the infant seat on the back of the bike. That old red bike taught me that my strong legs could ride all day, and eventually helped me train for a triathalon. That old red bike took me places I would not otherwise have gone, and provided faithful transportation when the car spent a few days in the garage.

That was nearly thirty years ago. The world has changed and I have changed along with it. It no longer fit my life or life-style. It’s paint was battered, the seat worn smooth. Finally one night when the church was empty, I rode her over for one last time. I took her to the dining room and left her there. We had a chat. I cried. In whispered tones one of the staff who had observed this process noted that I had finally left her behind and offered empathy.

Days later when she lay under tarps on the church parking lot in preparation for re-sale, I nearly rescued her. I couldn’t help myself. Letting go is hard to do. Even when the past is over and gone, even when the present is just right, even when the future is filled with hope, letting go is hard to do.

“Anyone in Christ is a new creation, the past is over and gone, the new is come.” [2 Corinthians 5:17] Let it be.