Mountain biking is a sport in which people ride special bikes designed to handle rough terrain—often in areas without roads.  Sometimes they ride down steep hills littered with rocks and boulders.

I once heard a story about a man who wanted to learn to mountain bike.  He had the good fortune to be invited to join a group of experienced bikers for a day.  As he attempted to negotiate a steep field of boulders, he kept hitting the rocks—risking both his bike and his body—and creating a hazard for other riders.  Finally the leader of the group took him aside and asked him what he was looking at as he rode down the hill.

“The boulders!” the man exclaimed. “What do you think?”

“Ah,” replied the leader. “That is your problem. You need to focus on the spaces between the rocks!”

• What are the boulders in your life right now?
• Are you focusing on the boulders or the spaces in your life?
• Write about the spaces. What do they look like?
• Are you willing to focus on the spaces?
• What can you do to keep yourself focused on the spaces and not the rocks?