Keep Pedaling

Several years ago, I read a book about Lance Armstrong. I realize that as I write this, he is once again facing some accusations about illegal blood doping while he was racing bikes professionally. The book I read dealt with his attitude and life during his struggle with Cancer, so it really didn’t deal with racing or these allegations, and since I don’t know the man personally, I will refrain from speculating on that topic. Yes, that seems to be worded in some fancy “legalease,” but I wanted to make sure that the point won’t be lost to those that focus on that particular aspect of Mr. Armstrong’s life.

Now, having said that, the book I read really focused on the subject of Armstrong’s discovery and subsequent treatment and recovery from Cancer. What I can tell you is that regardless of what anyone thinks of the man personally, his determination is inspiring. Some of the stories I read and have seen or heard about him lead me to believe that Lance and I do not line up completely on our value systems, but I can not deny that what he went through is a wonderful illustration.

Upon discovery of testicular cancer that also spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain, Armstrong had to have surgery in order to have a fighting chance of survival. After the surgery, he had a very aggressive chemotherapy regimen in order to try and kill off any remaining active cancer cells. After all of this, his cancer went into remission and he was able to begin training for the Tour de France.

Again, to avoid any political mess that is currently going on, I won’t say more about his subsequent career. However, there is a great illustration to be found here. Before the cancer, Lance Armstrong was a bicycle racer. When the cancer was discovered, he could not continue racing until something was done about the disease within him. The treatment was painful and took much out of the man, both physically and emotionally. But after pushing through what was necessary, he came out on the other side ready to continue racing bicycles.

I’ve been very challenged by our Sunday services lately, and the one from yesterday was no different. For several weeks before the message, I have been dealing with conviction from God in several areas of my life. Nothing gossip-worthy, but they are still issues that run between me and God, so I won’t go into details. What I can say is this--when God points out the sin in your life, He also lets you know what you need to do about it. It’s certainly not easy, and it is painful to know that we have let God and others down. But, it doesn’t change the fact that we must follow through with the treatment of repentance and forgiveness in order to remove the sin from our life and move on becoming who God created us to be.

Cancer is a horrible disease. Many times, the way people discover they have it is because it has already begun to make them very sick and has done terrible damage to their bodies. It’s hard to hide from what the cancer is doing.

We like to try and hide our sin. We cover it up, bury it deep, and just ignore it. However, it is still there, and while unlike cancer, it may take longer to wreak havoc in our lives, it will eventually catch up to us. The best thing to do is to respond as soon as you feel conviction in your life, and obey God’s leading in treating the sin. The road to recovery may involve great pain and humility, but it is in those moments when we remember how weak and frail we really are that we can experience the power of God’s strength.

Consequences of our sinful actions may leave our lives looking a bit differently, and may send us down paths we never thought we’d take. But, the good news is that God will be working to restore us so that we may be able to climb up on that bike again, and continue on the next leg of our journey.