Life and...

This past weekend I was engaged in a charity ride around Sedona, AZ for the National MS Society.  It was a grueling ride with lots of sharp climbs and steep descents.  High temperatures and high winds just added to the suffering.  But it was all for a good cause!

This was all put in perspective when I came to a rest stop up on the plateau outside Cornville and saw several emergency vehicles.  A rider had been struck by a vehicle and had been whisked off in a helicopter to Flagstaff.  Later that night we found out she didn't make it.

Now there were many places along the route where one might have expected an accident to happen.  The route was difficult and the roads often were narrow and well-trafficed.  This, however, was not one of those spots.  Signage was up warning drivers of the riders along the road, visibility was great and while narrow, the road was plenty wide to accommodate riders and drivers alike.  Yet, it did happen.

Now I know that we ride in these charity events to ease the life of another, and they all involve negotiating donations for the sake of the organization sponsoring the ride.  Yet in the middle of a steep climb, it's hard to look beyond our own suffering.  As the heat bears down on us on the road it is easy to feel sorry for oneself.  As the miles ahead seem endless and the wind blows in our face it is tempting to just give up.

Yet it is our suffering that connects us to another human being.  It is the pain we shared that became the common story that bonded unique individuals into a collective gathering.  It is in our own experience of struggle and the helplessness that inhibits us, that we discover the wonder of grace.   Everyone of us knew that it could have been any one of us, but for the grace of God.

So coming out of Cornville that day, climbing up a mile long 7% grade road, I tried to remind myself to be thankful for the suffering.  The suffering connects me to the needs of others, but in addition it reminds me I am human.   It creates within me empathy for those other humans out in the world, even the ones who strike down good deeds doing cyclist.

Ultimately, suffering connects me to grace of God found in unlikely places.  Rather than running (riding) in fear of it, I believe it may not only lead to a deepness of life, but a grater breadth of experience as well.  My suffering leads to trusting in the promise that he is there in the middle of the mix.

I hope and pray that the family of that woman will be able to experience God's grace in their heartache, and I pray that I will be able to extend that grace to others even when they do not meet my expectations (and vice versa!).

Peace,
Pal