More from Rich Dixon

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Last time I began a ride anticipating failure because the bucket was completely empty.

Five miles passed, then ten, then fifteen. By the time Becky caught up, I was having a decent ride. Our friend Scott left a message in response to the previous night’s blog. He reminded us we could lean on Jesus.

We don’t follow God-inspired dreams alone. At the top of a Missouri hill, Becky and I talked about our journey of hope. We recalled Hebrews 12:1: …let us throw off everything that hinders and…run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

It was good to remember that Jesus and His people traveled with us. We felt their prayers and support. By mid-afternoon I’d completed forty-three miles. It wasn’t the prettiest, fastest, or easiest ride of the trip. But I did it.

Every parent, spouse, student, employee, business owner, and dream-follower knows about “empty bucket” days. You’d rather check out, but you don’t. You made promises. Your commitments matter.

Despite the discomfort, as I cranked along I realized I liked what I was doing. This seemed odd until I remembered – God-inspired dreams are about character, not comfort.

In 1960, President Kennedy said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

I chose to do Rich’s Ride, not because it was easy, but precisely because it was hard. And when something’s hard, you’ll have days when you’d rather watch TV. You don’t, because life is long-term and dreams matter.

“Completely empty” is a lie because we don’t follow the dream alone. We get to draw strength from Jesus and His people.

The empty feeling isn’t permanent. We know where to go to get the bucket refilled. Such knowledge inspires the kind of hope that can get you through a tough day.

To be continued…