I was really uncertain going into this ride. Even when I had the gear I felt ill-equipped to go on the journey. Especially since it started so ominously in the dark.
Released my grip
As I gradually released my white-knuckle grip on the handle bars and looked around at the beautiful scenery in the distance, I increasingly enjoyed the ride. The changes were slow and in some cases I experienced a few setbacks as I came across elements with which I was unfamiliar, like the first trestle high above the ground or the second tunnel which brought back all the apprehension of the first one.
In faith
As the ride progressed, the stretches through the darkness became shorter. I was better equipped and prepared to travel through a tunnel. I knew when to turn my light on as I approached one, and rode through in faith that the light at the other end was coming.
More comfortable
I grew more and more comfortable with each trestle that I encountered. Eventually I experienced the joy of recognizing bridges in the distance as well as making sense of the ones behind me and how they fit into the overall view.
Simply the path
And the rocky path which compounded how awkward I felt when I started out on this ride became an after-thought, simply the path on which I traveled.
I think the greatest realization for me was how this awkward bike ride coincided so well to starting a journey through the Bible.
Reading the Bible
Any initial attempts at reading the Bible all the way through– or let’s face it, any significant portion of Scripture – led to clumsy steps and abandoned attempts.
Taking this journey from start to finish – on the bike and through the Bible – gave me a confidence to keep moving forward.
Brought sweet surprises
Both the bike ride and the Bible brought sweet surprises.
Surprises I would have never seen had I not begun this journey.
Rewards of reading
The rewards of reading the Bible included a deeper understanding of the significance and connection to multiple places in Scripture. I saw how the Old Testament connected to the New Testament and how Jesus connected it all together.
My prayer is that you would experience that too. By starting, even if it feels awkward, even if you aren’t sure what you’re doing, may you find the courage and motivation to begin.
As you reflect on this journey, where are you stuck? What questions do you have?
Is this your first glimpse at the ride? Here’s a starting point:
Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is where we find comparison to the final stretch of the bike ride. Join me as we shine some light on the path.
Perspective
We had traveled over several trestles on the length of this bike ride. They first appeared far in the distance – I hadn’t even realized they were a part of the route.
As we progressed further I began to realize they were an integral part of the trail. I started to see them in relation to other sections of the landscape of this trek. We can make a similar connection to the book of Revelation against the backdrop of the whole Bible.
Return to the tunnel
One more book to go. Revelation. Remember that tunnel at the beginning of the ride? The shuttle bus dropped us back at the wrong end of it in my opinion, but that’s the only place it stops. I think it’s really good that I had no clue I would have to ride through this tunnel one more time. I personally think that would have been my undoing had I realized this traumatic tunnel where I had encountered my fears would be my point of escape.
Revelation
For me, the book of Revelation was kind of like that too. The letters of Paul and others were comprehensible and then came Revelation, steeped in imagery. If I had thought the Gospel of John was hard to read with all of its visuals, Revelation came across like a bad dream. Well, it is the vision of the Gospel writer John.
Avoided reading
For years I avoided reading Revelation. Since I didn’t initially get the imagery of the Book of John, I had an even harder time understanding Revelation, penned by the same author.
Like the tunnel at the beginning of the ride, my first attempt at reading Revelation was a plunge into incomprehension and darkness. Nothing made sense.
Connections to the beginning
Once I read through the whole Bible though I saw some connections to the beginning in Genesis. Which is fun since I had to ride back through the tunnel at the end of the ride. And if you recall from early posts about this bike ride I referred to the start of the Old Testament as the long dark tunnel.
Tunnel of darkness
At the start of the ride I ran into the 1.661 mile long tunnel of darkness and unknown obstacles, many of which were internal (fears). Which was the same tunnel I now approached on the return.
Trying to initially read through the Bible I also encountered the long dark tunnel of the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Same issues
The beauty of the similarity of this journey is that in some ways, the same issues I had with getting started with the Bible, were the same ones that prevented me from crossing the finish line with this behemoth book in the first place. This last book of Revelation, this prophecy for the next chapter with Jesus, revealed nothing to me initially, only confusion.
Confidence
So what changed?
Well, for one thing, my confidence to even open it and read what was in it.
When I did, I was astounded. No, I didn’t suddenly have a full comprehension of what was in it. I was still confused. But my Bible was open to Revelation, and I was open to taking a look at God’s Word this far into the Bible – at the end of the book but not the end of the story.
What I noticed
So what did I notice?
I noticed this Revelation was a vision, what God had revealed to the Gospel writer John while he was exiled on an island. (Revelation 1:1,9-10)
I recognized references from Genesis (tree of life, tribes) and names for Jesus – the Lion of Judah, the Lamb, and the Root of David. I remembered reading about Judah in Genesis, the Lamb in Exodus, and about David in 1 and 2 Samuel. And those are just some of the places we find them.
Did I understand everything I read? No. Did I read through it even though I didn’t fully grasp it? Yes. Did I gain more confidence having read through it and opened this book in the first place? Yes.
I recognized more from Revelation because I had taken a chance at the beginning to read from Genesis, Exodus, and further in.
The point wasn’t to comprehend everything, but have a better sense of what was there.
As with the tunnel. The 1.661 mile tunnel was still dark and much too long for my taste. The ceiling still dripped water and the road still slanted toward the gutters. But I knew that now. I was aware of those elements, those aspects of this previously unknown path.
I had ridden the length of the trail. I knew what to expect, even if what I knew was that I would still be traveling in darkness. That revelation provided a level of assurance as I made the return trip through this space that had tripped me up at the onset.
What changed
We raced through the tunnel. Partly because we were hungry and way behind schedule, but also because I had grown a bit on the journey.
It was the same tunnel, but I was changed.
I now had the strength to endure, the tools to continue on this journey in spite of the darkness I would inevitably encounter. And I knew for certain I was riding toward the light.
I knew for certain I was riding toward the light.
Through my experience of the entire ride, the clunky start, the angst, the hesitation, I had gained skills over the course of my journey. And perspective. As I learned more about the route I saw how the pieces fit together. I could see where I’d been and where I was headed. And though I still struggled periodically along the route, I gained skills that helped me as I continued along the path.
Had skills
So by the time I arrived at this tunnel that had plunged me into darkness and confrontation of my fears, I had skills that helped me cope with the darkness and confidence that I was indeed riding toward the light.
Remember that mud stripe I saw on the backs of the ones who had ridden through the tunnel on the way in? That stripe came from riding quickly through the tunnel. When my husband and I emerged from the darkness we discovered that we now had the tell-tale sign of an experienced rider.
I wore my mud proudly. Yes, I rode the route. I pedaled fast. I sailed through the tunnel. I had enough light on the way back. I had confidence to soar through the darkness to reach the light.
And much in the way we were tagged by the trail and our experience with it, so do we, as we dive into Scripture and pursue the length of the journey, emerge as ones who have been with Jesus.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 NIV
The New Testament letters written by Paul and others draw our attention at this next stage of the bike ride and our journey through the Bible.
Where I’d been
This next stretch of the ride was really about the notion of seeing behind and before. We were past the tunnels and trestles and on to the open trail for most of the remaining path. In these open spaces of the bike trail I could see where I’d been and where I was going. I was far enough along on the ride to have a better sense of my location in relation to the entire route.
We were also running late. The ride had taken way longer than we’d realized. Longer than the person at the registration desk had indicated. We needed to hurry so we didn’t miss the shuttle bus back to the trailhead.
Rest of the letters
If you look at the Bible widthwise, there aren’t that many pages to go. What’s left is several shorter books – the rest of the letters – and Revelation.
This will be a fast trip through this section of Scripture. At this point on the ride we were running behind and still had to get back to the initial tunnel.
Did I mention that? This was a big deal. Somewhere along the way it dawned on me that I would have to ride back through the first really long dark tunnel. Say what? Once through was traumatic enough.
I tried not to think about it as I continued the ride. Eventually I stopped thinking about it. I got caught up in the views, the scenery, and my surroundings. I had enjoyed the ride across each remaining trestle.
More information
Because we were running late I could only glance at the information boards we encountered along the route. We took pictures of some of them so we could look at them later. Each information board had a different set of details on it, but they all related to the ride in some way.
New Testament letters
That’s one way we can think of all these letters near the back of the Bible in the New Testament. Information we may not have time to read now but can come back to later.
Paul’s letters to churches
As I mentioned last week, this next part of the Bible is a collection of letters. Paul, who wrote the book of Romans, also wrote letters to several other churches. These next books of the Bible are the letters of Paul and the group of people to whom the letters were sent.
1 and 2 Corinthians (two letters)
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 and 2 Thessalonians (two letters)
Each letter was sent for a specific reason and with a specific function. The content of the letters gives indication of what issues were being dealt with and which situations Paul felt called to address.
Paul’s letters to individuals
The next few letters Paul wrote to individuals, some of whose names you may recognize from letters to the churches.
1 and 2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
Hebrews is a letter whose author is not named in the book. The content of this book draws connection to the Old Testament and many of its key players. This New Testament letter is one of the best reasons to read the Old Testament and make the connection to the New Testament and to Jesus.
Letters by individuals
The rest of the letters are named after their author including two letters from Peter and three from John. Note each individual’s direct connection to Jesus.
James – half-brother of Jesus
1 and 2 Peter – disciple of Jesus
1, 2, 3 John – disciple of Jesus and Gospel writer
Jude – brother of James, half-brother of Jesus
This is a quick trip through this section of the Bible. The purpose is really just to know where it is so we can come back to it again.
What to remember from New Testament Letters
When I read the letters of Paul, I like to keep in mind his story in the book of Acts. Some of the details he shares come from his own experience recorded in Acts.
If we remember that Acts tells of the history of the church, including events and stories that occurred, we can make some connections between it and the letters that follow. The letters are written by people who lived during the time of Acts. Some of them are mentioned by name in that book of the Bible.
Two of my favorite passages of Scripture describing Jesus are in the letters:
Philippians 2:5-11
Colossians 1:15-20
Interestingly enough, the Philippians passage is about Christ’s humility and the Colossians passage is about His supremacy.
I encourage you to read these two passages if you haven’t already.
Looking for the Gospels and the first of Paul’s letters?
