Biking blessings

Gabriel at summer camp with horse, Decker.

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Courtesy photo

One afternoon in March 2012, I was at my house after school. I didn’t have much homework, so I decided to find something to do that would be a good use of my time. 

All of a sudden this angel message came to me: “God is all around us.” I really enjoy building with Lego blocks so I had the idea to build a church out of them. I named it “The Church of God,” representing the idea that everything is in God’s control and everyone is safe in God’s arms. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy describes Church as “the structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle” (p. 583). The next morning, while I was preparing to go to school, I remember thinking about Church and how everyone on earth is in it, including me. 

As part of the physical fitness portion of the Congressional Award (a national service/leadership award), which I have been working on for almost two years, I ride my bicycle to and from school every day. It had snowed the night before, so the pavement that morning was very slick, making it hard to stop quickly. When I arrived at one of the busiest intersections on my route, I waited for the cars to stop so I could cross the street. When the cross traffic had a red light and I had a “Walk” sign, I started riding across the intersection. There was a car coming in my direction a ways down the street. I really didn’t notice the car until it took a left turn, heading straight toward me. By then it was too late for me to move out of the way, and I was hit. 

Immediately after the crash, I remembered this quote from the Bible: “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Psalms 91:11, 12). I really like this quote because it assures me that God is always there for me—even if I literally “dash my foot” against a stone or face any other kind of trouble.

Love is necessary for the world to be harmonious.

Once I got up off the ground, I realized I was not hurt except for a scratch on my leg—that being the case, I still felt angry at the woman driving the car. I was able to walk fine, but my bike was quite damaged. I assured the concerned driver that I was fine, and exchanged contact information with her. I decided that I could still ride my bike and made it to school on time.  

The driver contacted my mom. So she phoned the school. I was called to the office, and I let my mom know that I wasn’t hurt. Throughout the day, I was definitely thinking about how I’d been protected by God. I had a productive school day, and my mom picked me up after school to take my bike in for repairs. She told me how wonderful it is that God is always there for us.

I needed to make sure I wasn’t mad at the driver, because love is necessary for the world to be harmonious. I prayed to fill my thought with ideas from God. Some of the ideas I prayed with included: We are the perfect reflection of God; there are no accidents in God’s kingdom (see Science and Health, p. 424); and we all can listen and be in tune with divine Love. Nothing could take away or destroy the bond we, as God’s people, naturally have with God and each other.

My mom and I went to two different bicycle shops to get the best repair estimate. Eventually, I decided to get a new bike and found the right one. The demonstration of God’s care felt complete when the driver came to our house and paid us what it would have cost to repair my damaged bike. 

I will always appreciate the idea behind “The Church of God” I built with Lego blocks—the omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence of God is always there for me, no matter what.