Written by: Lori Harrison, Orange Ride
Our sons (ten-year-old twin boys, who are participating with us this year on the one week segment) asked us what we would see on our Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure. Well, what we saw on the “Segment 7” route from Peoria, IL to Indianapolis, IN was corn, soybeans, turbines, farms, corn, soybeans, turbines, farms, and so on. In reality, though, we saw so much more than that!
In James 1:22, the Bible says, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.” So, what we saw were many people doing what God says. They showed the love of Christ to all the people that they met along the way, from the little girl at the lemonade stand in a tiny little farm town that we cycled through, to the people of the communities that we were able to help with their homes, businesses, and community centers. We also saw how the body of Christ is supposed to work. We have people from all parts of the country, in all different stages of life—from young children, to college students, to teachers, and retired people, all with different talents and abilities, all working side-by-side, getting things done, and taking care of each other.
We also saw how Jesus poured out His love onto us while we were being obedient to His word. He blessed us with so many people to love on us by providing a bounty of food along the way. They loved on us by welcoming strangers into their churches and making us feel welcome. We saw Him bless us with safety, with good weather (We even out-cycled a storm on one of the days in order to stay dry.), and His beautiful creation that we got to witness with each pedal stroke along the route.
Once again, God showed us that we can never out-give Him. We came to love on people in Jesus’s name, but in the end, we ended up being blessed more than we could ever imagine.
May you and your family do, and see what God does in your life!