The Obvious question after seeing this title is "What has a bicycle got to do with God and a Christian Marriage?" I ask that you stay with me a bit, as i try to explain the relevance. Lets start by describing the parts of a bicycle, we have the bicycle frame, the handlebars, the riders' seat, the pedals, the wheels, the bicycle chain and the brakes, both front wheel and rear wheel brakes, and most importantly, the rider. That in a nutshell are the essential parts of a bicycle and any bicycle anywhere in the world would have all these parts in one way or another.
Now lets look at the Christian marriage and try to identify it's components. We have one husband, one wife, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, God, Prayer, Purpose, Relationship, amongst others.
Comparing the way a bicycle operates to the way a Christian marriage works seems ambiguous but i would attempt to do just that, and hope it all ties together for you as you read it
Here we go........
The husband is the head of a home and his responsibility is to provide direction for his family. It is his duty to lead his family by living a life that sets examples for the members of his family. To get direction for the family, the husband must have a relationship with God and must seek to know what plans God has for his family. Let me say here that no marriage is accidental because God has a purpose for every single relationship you start, friendships, work buddies, etc. and contrary to popular opinion these days, you just can't marry anybody.......but i digress.......
The husband bears a similarity to the front wheel of a bicycle. The front wheel determines direction and via the handle bars, the rider is able to steer it in the best possible direction that suits his journey. The front wheel doesn't generate any power, rather it thrives in the power that is being generated by the rear wheel. The Front wheel can turn all it wants, but without the movement generating power of the rear wheel, it will do all it's turning on a spot. Now you probably guessed that the real wheel can be likened to the wife in a Christian marriage. A wife should encourage her husband, back him up with prayers and do whatever it takes (in line with the word of God) to give her husband the confidence he needs to make the decisions required to move the family in the direction God has instructed him to. I would like to say that the bicycle frame can be likened to Jesus Christ, because He is the one who has connected both the man and the woman together.The frame keeps the front wheel and the rear wheel in proper position for the best performance both individually and as a team in marriage. The frame is also the strength and the strongest part of the bicycle and any damage to it affect the performance of the bicycle. Likewise, how we treat Jesus Christ in our marriages determines how productive that marriage will be. If He is made the head of the family, then things will work for your good through grace, but if he is seen as a spectator, bystander or even intruder in the marriage, that marriage will be subject to the the whims and fancies of this world and there will be no difference between that marriage and a marriage between unbelievers. That being said, let me just breeze through the remaining similarities as i round off. The Handlebars that connect the rider to the front wheel can be explained as the Holy Spirit. The hands of the rider on the handlebar means God's guidance and direction is being communicated to the husband through the Holy Spirit(Handlebars) and directing him where he should go.
The bicycle chain connecting the rear wheel to the pedal can also be likened to the Holy Spirit. The kind of relationship a husband has with God isn't the exact kind of relationship a wife has with God. The feet on the pedals that control how much movement the rear wheel makes through the connection of the chain talks about the intensity and fervency of the relationship with God. the higher the intensity of the communication, the faster the pedal moves and the further her family moves along the path the husband is moving in, according to the leading on the Lord. The most important part of riding a bicycle is the rider. He knows where he's going thereby determining where the bicycle is going. He takes care of the bicycle, patches the tires if they get holes, cleans the bicycle, maintains it but most importantly, gives it a sense of purpose....makes it feel useful and productive. The rider can be likened to God, He created marriage, the purpose for every marriage and has the perfect plan to get the marriage to that expected end, (if we let Him of course....). Most times, we want to take God out of our marriages and run it as best as we can thinking or believing that having children is the only purpose of marriage. How wrong we are. A marriage without God in it is like a bicycle parked on the curb beside the highway of life, enjoying the breeze generated by other bicycles whizzing by, yet not moving an inch from its position. So in conclusion i write, God doesn't do coincidences, moments that we term as coincidences has taken God hundreds of year to set up. Don't just think that you can marry anybody, God is too wise and purposeful to allow anything happen that He hasn't allowed. He knows the number of hairs on your head, he gave eyes, ears, antennae to the tiny insects, most you don't even know exist. He built the mountains, awesomely huge rock creations yet intricately detailed, He designed and created you, as intricately complex as you are, He designed you, his absolute best creation on this earth with a purpose in mind. Therefore, i beg you, You life can never be purposeless, your marriage isn't meant to just have kids and build a comfortable life, there is a greater purpose tied to it, and the sooner we understand and discover what that purpose is, the sooner all the stuff we go through starts to make sense. So Relax, let your rider take you on a journey that is greater than your wildest dreams!!!!!!!
