There and back again

This weekend I participated in the largest find-raising bicycle ride in the United States - The MS150. The ride is a 2 day 150 mile bicycle tour from Houston to Austin, TX raising money towards finding a cure for multiple sclorosis. The ride itself was awesome, and I did much better than I expected to. What I really want to talk about was the music that went through my head during the ride. Those that know me well know that I have very random thoughts. Songs that went through my head were "Free Ride" by Jefferson Airplane, "Fat Bottom Girls" by Queen, "Wanted: Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi and others.

The second day of the ride the announcers at the start point were talking about the different people suffering with MS, their families, the people riding for them and such. it was then that I thought, "here I am enjoying this awesome ride when there are people that could only wish that they could at least walk". To know that all these people were doing this to support MS afflicted people really moved me, nearly to tears.

The last song that I had going through my head as I pulled through at the finish line at 24 mph, with all the crowds cheering us on, including those people that we rode for, was this portion of “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”:

So what am I gonna do with this life You gave me?
What could I do but live for Your praise?

You gave me this breath
And You gave me this strength
And every day I'll live to obey You

With all of my heart
With all of my soul
Let every breath I'm breathing display You, God

The very breath that carried me for over 150 miles, the strength that pushed me through, the heart, soul, passion and desire that drove me to volunteer for this in the first place - ALL those things I received from God. I may not have been in church this morning, but I was where god wanted to have me and doing what he wanted me to do - love those who He placed around me - both the cyclist and the MS patient.