I just learned a hard, painful lesson today.  When the weather got really cold last fall, I moved my bike indoors and put it on a trainer.  I did this so I could keep up the progress I made over the summer.  Now I have to admit that I cannot stand training indoors.  No matter what I do to keep it interesting – it is still incredibly boring.  I did not ride as much as I should have but I did ride.  This “winter” never really materialized, however in keeping a weather eye out, I could not help but notice the expected temperatures were getting to a point where I could actually take my bike out on the road again.

Eagerly I went home at lunch, changed into my bike clothes, put my heart rate monitor on (why do those things always have to be cold?).  I was ecstatic while I pumped air into my tires, double checked my lights (yes in the day time – I will share horror stories some other time), made sure my water was full, pulled my bike out to the street and I was off!  Oh the thrill!  Oh the rapture!  I was riding on the road, the wind whistling through my helmet, the sound of the tires eating up roadway – YES!  It was GREAT!! 

At least for a while, soon and suddenly something awful happened.  I noticed my heart rate was higher than it should have been, my breathing was getting labored.  I was not going as fast as I thought I should.  No, it was not a coronary event; I was (am) way out of shape!  In fact, it was as if I was starting all over again.  It couldn’t be that, I had easily matched the mileage from the summer!  I spent a lot of time training indoors, but it was as if it had not done me any good at all.

You know me by now; you know I have a spiritual application to make.  Today it comes in the form of a question:  Are you really serving God, or are you going through (some) motions and fooling yourself?  I have often taught that the HOLYdays that God established for the people were reminders of the great things God did for them.  They also served as opportunities for some retrospection.  They were a chance to look at their behavior, and to “check in” with God and make sure the people were doing their part.  Trust me, you do not want to hit the road with God and find out you were wrong.