Do you remember when you first learned to ride a bike? How about when your parents decided it was time to take the training wheels off and you had to learn to ride like a big kid? I remember that day quite vividly. My mom put the huge responsibility into my dads hands. I was about 5 or 6 at the time and was quite confident in riding with my training wheels. A part of me wanted to take them off but a huge part of me wanted to keep them on. After all, I could ride my bike with no hands with those puppies on!Finally, my dad began to take the training wheels off. He kept reassuring me that he would make sure I didn't fall and that I would be riding like a champ in no time. You can probably imagine what happened next. There I am, little blonde-bobbed-hair Liza crying on the pavement. Yes, gravity does have a way of getting a hold of you and the second my Dad let me go, I crashed.
Of course my dad felt terrible and was struggling to come up with a way to rebuild my confidence. Next thing I know, he had put one training wheel back on and left the other one off. It was the perfect solution-just ride with one training wheel. Fail. I believe I crashed even harder the second time (okay so I don't remember all the details but enough). At this point, I thought I would be the only grown adult with training wheels on my bike.
Never fear, I am 22 and do not ride my bike with training wheels (I can be quite dramatic at times...I think I missed my calling in life). Finally, my dad pushed me off and I didn't crash! And boy, did I love riding my bike; it was my new BFF.
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| No, this is not me but I thought this was presh!:) |
I would be lying if I said moving out to Colorado has been all roses. Has it been nice to see Jordan on a regular basis? Absolutely. Do I love the mountains and my new apartment? You bet I do. Is growing up hard? Hard is an understatement. Moving out to CO for the second time has felt a lot like it did when I took those training wheels off. It is not very comfortable. It is hard to be away from family and life long friends. Not to mention it is tough learning how to finance your money (I am learning to embrace Dave Ramsey).
I think the hardest part is "feeling" like I don't have a community. When I went Liberty, I was surrounded by thousands of college students my age. Likewise, when I went to FLI , I met awesome people who I took classes with, did an internship with and lived with. However, when you move somewhere without having a guaranteed community, it is very different.
Thankfully, I can always have confidence in God and His word. He has brought me comfort, security and assurance on days when I've doubted why I moved here. A decision made in faith has to be carried out in faith. I have seen God's faithfulness in providing my rent (to the dollar) the day before my rent was due, allowing me to become a part of Bible Study Fellowship and having Jordan and my roommates here to encourage me to cling to God's promises. I have food, shelter and clothing. I am abundantly blessed!
Getting on that bike without training wheels was scary but boy, I am glad I took the risk. Mema sent me a excerpt before I moved that sums it all up, "When you're in a moment that has the potential to alter your future, trust God, step out in faith and move forward. Don't let your dream die inside you because of the risk involved. With God, risk is the bridge that gets you to where He wants you to be."
