My 6 year old daughter loves being outside and trying new things. We finished the fall, just before the deep freeze of winter, trying to get her to ride her bike without training wheels. She just couldn’t get herself to try it, and the thought of it would bring her to tears. Classmates and cousins younger than her were riding around without training wheels this spring and she was struggling with that. We spent time talking about fear, spent bed times talking about faith and confidence, read the story of David and Goliath over and over again, prayed with her, prayed for her, listened and watched her pray on her own (nothing sweeter than that). And as we have all had this extended time at home, we kept trying. And sure enough, she did it! All the way around the driveway by herself, beaming with pride from ear to ear. Watching her ride around driveway with the biggest smile on her face the first time she accomplished it—now that picture is engrained in my head. Brings tears to my eyes to think about her getting over her fears, what she has learned about relying on God for her strength and watching her faith grow. I know this may seem small and yes, it probably would have happened this summer at some point. But truly, what a blessing it was to do this in April, to share that with her and watch her grow with it. She has now committed to teaching her sister Mackenzie (3 years old) to ride her bike and if she’s scared of anything, she says “That God is right there with you and will help you.” Thank you Lord even during this difficult season for this wonderful Unexpected Blessing.

-Dave M