Hard Tail versus Full Suspension

Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and character) is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.

Two weekends ago we went camping and mountain biking (Texas style). I sampled mountain biking when I lived in Arizona several years ago and really enjoyed it when I moved to central Texas and the "mountains" were more like gentle rolling hills. When I purchased my bike thirteen years ago, I chose a hard tail. It has front end suspension and no back end suspension. When I 'test' rode the full suspension bikes, I felt the back end was too cushy, too soft, and out of my control. My bike has served me well over the years. Just enough shock absorption in just the right places, my shoulders. When I moved to south (flat) coastal Texas nine or ten years ago, mountain biking gave way to running and road biking and mountain biking became a weekend retreat, joined by my brother, in the hill country. On my first ride this weekend, I found myself very cautious and conservative. It had been two years since I last road, due to family schedules (ours, now married with two little girls and my brother's, now married with two littler girls). At one point during our ride on Saturday my brakes locked up or I locked my breaks up (depending who you are talking to), and I went over my handle bars. My mechanically inclined and gifted husband fixed them the best they could be considering that my front rim was now not true to precision. I finished Saturday's ride with some continued friction on my front wheel rim. Sunday's ride presented me with the opportunity to ride my sister-in-laws newer full suspension (front and rear shocks) model of my bike, considering the state of my brakes on my bike, I felt that would be the wiser choice. This newer bike would be considered a Cadillac, according to my husband. Think of the technology that has improved over those years, namely lighter components. On the downhills my hard tail literally bounces all over causing my vision to appear blurred, as rocks, roots, and various obstacles are attempted to be avoided or jumped. It already feels like it bounces uncontrollably on the trails, let alone the downhills. Now the full suspension ride I experienced gave me a new level of confidence, clearer vision and a smoother ride. I felt like I was gliding downhill over the above mentioned obstacles. Complete difference in feel, ride and confidence. Smoother, more comfortable and less bounce.

Isn't that with the peace that our Father in heaven can give us through His word. He gave us a full suspension ride through this world, to soften the blows that come our way through the storms of life. Isn't that the difference between a hard tail choice of self sufficiency and a full suspension ride with the El Shaddai, the all sufficient One. It may not be an easy ride. It may require some effort to allow Him to work in us that peace. It certainly, guaranteed, won't even be a perfect ride. He gave us His word so that we could focus on Him and be cushioned when we hit the rocks, the roots, the obstacles that life can present. All we need to do is accept the full suspension of His word allowing it to guide us over those aforementioned obstacles and to absorb the bumps, smoothing the way before us.