I reached towards the sound, groping around in desperation on my nightstand, trying to find whatever it was that was making that God-awful noise. It was my phone. Actually, it was the alarm clock on my phone, and the noise emanating from it is actually quite peaceful. I managed to silence the alarm, fearing I had not intervened quickly enough to prevent the Tornado Warning Siren (that I was hearing in my head) from waking my lovely, peacefully sleeping wife.
It appeared I was successful, as she barely stirred. I on the other hand, wrestled with the thought of getting out of bed at such an hour - 4:30 am - to go ride a bike, the act of which, would surely cause a great deal of pain.
You see, I am currently dealing with some spine issues, the result of an on-the-job injury that I sustained a little over two years ago. The injury resulted in a severely torn vertebral disc, that allows the innermost part of the disc to escape from it confines, and place pressure on the nerve root that emanates from that location. It's no fun. I recently re-aggravated the injury while extricating a patient from within her vehicle. Injections to manage the pain are scheduled for later this week.
While I lay in bed, thinking of the various reasons why I should stay in bed, I heard it. It was clearly a voice...one which was loud enough to wake my wife, or so I thought. I quickly sat up, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness of our bedroom, searching for who it was that had just uttered those words.
There was nobody there.
Thinking I must have fallen back asleep, and dreamed this whole thing, I lay back down and closed my eyes. I was NOT getting up. Just as my head hit the pillow, I heard it again...as clear as any voice I had ever heard before!
Again I sat up, and again the result was the same. There were no other living creatures in our bedroom, other than myself, my wife, and our dog - who was curled into a cute little ball in his bed. He obviously had not heard anything, as he...and my wife, were not stirring.
You may think I am crazy, but I know what I heard. The voice was encouraging, yet direct. Not loud, but commanding. "Suck it up, and quit your whining" was what I had heard...twice.
I am a Christian. I believe in God. I believe he speaks to us in different ways. I believe he loves us...sometimes with 'tough love'. I have never felt or heard him speak to me before, and to be quite honest, I may have been a little bitter about that...not really. Okay, yes I was.
I feel like God spoke to me that early morning - urging me to get out of bed, and begin the training that I so desperately need, to be able to complete the 2014 Ride 430 Challenge. I feel He was telling me that, while I am injured, I can still function, and that those who I ride for have suffered far greater injury, and tolerated far greater pain. He was speaking of our country's fallen military heroes, who place their lives on the line every day for our freedom.
As I pedaled my bike west, the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon behind me. My back was hurting, and my legs felt weak....but all i could think about was that voice I had heard a few minutes prior. The voice that encouraged me to get out of bed, get on my bike, and begin logging what will ultimately be nearly 3000 miles of training, so that I can honor those men and women who have put their pain behind them, as they serve a cause much bigger than themselves.
It was a good ride.
