My oldest son Ryan didn’t like to go to school on his birthday.  I think it had something to do with the class singing Happy Birthday to him.  So when he asked if he could skip school on his birthday’s I said sure.  That is how one Friday he skipped school and went with me to the local yard sales and found a bicycle frame that he wanted.  I bought it for him, after all it was his birthday.  He spent what seemed like every waking hour that summer working on his bike.   He tinkered and traded and then visited the local bike shop to buy the rest of the pieces to put the bike together. 

He put it together and took it apart.  Then put it together and took it apart again.  If he did it once, he must have done it a hundred times.  It was the best $75 I had spent in a long time.   Finally at the end of the summer it appeared to be finished.  He kept it parked in the garage.  Then one fateful day just before school started we went out for the day and when we returned home Ryan’s bicycle had been stolen from out of the garage.  Ryan searched the entire neighborhood and open fields around where we lived, but the bike was not to be found.  School started and the bike eventually became a distant memory. 

The bicycle disappeared in mid August.  Fast forward to  the first part of January. One weekend morning I walked past a stack of local newspapers then turned back and picked one up.  I hadn’t read the paper in months.  I took it home and laid it down.  Later that day all three kids were gone visiting friends and I was home alone.  What to do with my time?  I played a few pieces on the piano, did a little aimless wandering and finally picked up the paper.  It was just a small local paper and soon I had finished reading the news.  Then I must have been truly bored because I started to read the classifieds.  The Lost and Found ads came first for so that’s where I started.  About three or four ads down I read this:  High end bicycle frame found (then it mentioned the area of town where we lived).  Please call to identify.

Just a short little ad,  but I was so excited.  I just knew this was Ryans bike and couldn’t wait til he got home so we could call the number.  A couple of hours later Ryan arrived home, we called and then drove about 5 houses down to take a look at the frame.  It was Ryans! I couldn’t believe it!  Almost five months later and we had his bicycle back.

The next day I was called into the office of where I worked and told that in five months I would be out of a job!  When I walked out of the office I couldn’t help but think of how Ryans bike had been missing for five months and then found.  It reassured me that God knew where that bike had been the entire 5 months and that in 5 months when I was out of a job, God knew what would happen next.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5 & 6 KJV