Winning the Race With Someone Else's Tire

As spring slowly starts to show its blushing face in beautiful Cache Valley, Utah, I am reminded about how hungry I am to bike. It's kind of a hobby of mine that hibernates until winter is over.

One year, my dad, my brother, my sister, and I all decided to participate in a local bike race. The route ran up a steep canyon for a way and then turned back for a rapid ride back down. We arrived, registered, and became way excited for it to start. Suddenly, as Dad pulled my bike from the rack on the car, I noticed that my front tire was very floppy. With mortification, I pulled out a thick thorn that had eventually destroyed the tire tube right from underneath our noses. I was devestated.

We discussed what we could do, but really, there weren't many viable options. We had no extra tires, no patches, no glue. But my dad, almost completely unconcerned, loosened the tire on his bike and screwed it onto mine. I protested at first, but he insisted that I ride with his tire. It was our race, he said, not his. 

It wasn't a fantastic tire, but it was a fantastic race. Even while wobbling up the mountain, I couldn't help but feel gratitude for what my father had sacrificed for me. It wasn't until after we enjoyed a juice box and a game of frisbee that I realized the lesson to be learned. 

Every single day, we damage our tire in some way. We are far from perfect, and it's hard to come home without scratches, mud, chunks of grass, or thick thorns protruding from the grooves in our tires. They keep us from doing our best, keep us from participating in the race. 

But in the race of life, we always have help. Our Savior sacrificed everything for us, gave us his tire so that we could all go on and win the race. Sometimes pride keeps us from accepting that help, but when we do, though the journey's rough at first, we find that the love of the Savior is worth it all. 

We all make mistakes. They're inevitable. We can try to patch them up by ourselves, hide them, or give up. But Christ will never give up on us. Glue and patches can peel off, but with an extra, firm tire, we have a second chance. 

Challenge: Think about the Atonement and what it means for you. Thank your Heavenly Father for His son's sacrifice and, in turn, sacrifice your time and ability to help someone in need. Loan a tire so that someone can also win that race.