From Rich Dixon:

We’ve accumulated thousands of cycling pictures over the years.

None has been more memorable than this one. It was taken on the final day of the 1500-mile ride on the outskirts of New Orleans. The white car in the distance marks the finish line of our epic journey.

You can imagine my emotions in the final yards of completing a project we once thought impossible, and it would be easy to misinterpret this photo. You’d be excused if you saw Rich, by himself, celebrating his big accomplishment.

That’s not what’s happening.

On that day, I thought about the phrase from Hebrews: …surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses…

Becky and I did not accomplish Rich’s Ride by ourselves, and I wasn’t alone as I crossed the finish line. You can’t see them in the photo, but I was surrounded by all the people who helped me get there.

The therapists and nurses who wouldn’t let me quit in the hospital. The four guys who coerced me onto my first handcycle. The list goes on and on, the entire story of Relentless Grace – a great cloud of witnesses sent by God who refused to let me give up when that’s all I wanted to do.

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Our friend Dick flew from Colorado to join us for the final miles. We celebrated a bit, exchanged high-fives, snapped pictures, and stowed the equipment a final time. Before driving into the city, we stopped at a small community hospital so I could use the accessible restroom.

While Becky waited in the lobby, a man and two women called her over and asked her to tell them about “Hope on Wheels.” Apparently, they’d seen the trailer as we rolled into the parking lot.

This ride was done, but Jesus wasn’t done using it. Next time – another divine appointment.

To be continued…