It happened again: a 20 mile bike ride in 90 degree Mexico heat proved to be more than I could handle. Oh how I wanted to be the cycling partner my husband so deserves, but once again I failed.  Basically, I bonked after 15 or so miles, and on a flat, paved and easy trail! This nose-dive occurred despite my working out nearly every day for the past year.

Sigh…  I am not meant to conquer any activity requiring prolonged physical exertion.

On a recent trip to Cozumel, Elmar and I rented bikes with the intention of riding from our lovely, air-conditioned resort down to a recommended tourist spot called Punta Sur.  At this lovely place of interest you can see a wild and lovely ocean while relaxing on a white, sandy beach. You encounter plenty of iguanas, colorful, tropical birds and even a crocodile or two (from a distance, of course)!  You can stand at a viewpoint which labels the distance to countries around the world from this southernmost point of Mexico.

We left just after breakfast and made it just fine to the point of interest, about 11 miles down the road. But, the heat of the day on the ride back caused me to bonk…again.  (Yes, I have bonked before, and I’m relatively certain the pattern will prevail on future rides as well.)  Bonking is not at all pleasant because you simply feel too weak to keep pedaling and all you want is to lie down and rest. In all honesty, bonking is downright humiliating.

But it happened again, and something else happened again too–my steady, strong and loving husband came alongside me to help. With 4 miles to go, after I kept asking to stop and rest, searching desperately for shade, Elmar came to my aide, as he’s done before. This is what he does: he rides his bike up alongside mine, places his strong arm around my back and pushes me forward on the trail. His other arm continues to steer his own bike, one-handed. Only an expert cyclist with great strength, stamina and balance could help in this way.

Despite great personal disappointment in my lack of endurance, I allowed him to support me. I felt such relief and gained confidence that we’d be back to the resort soon. To help, I tried to keep peddling with some sort of rhythm similar to his. But his assistance was insistent.  He spoke quietly in a gentle, assuring tone, “Just rest now…Stop peddling…Let me push you.”

We finally made it home; I drank a coke, and rested in our room.  Once I had my wits about me I remarked that the extra exertion for him surely must have been difficult. He calmly replied, “Not really, it was similar exertion to when I ride up Look Out Mountain.” (a training ride he regularly does here at home).

This act of love and support, which Elmar has had to do a few times now, reminds me of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God uses my husband’s supportive love as an analogy of how Holy Spirit “comes alongside” us to help when we need it most. We all bonk in life, and many of us bonk on a somewhat regular basis.  Our endurance falls short, we succumb to human weakness, and we don’t feel capable of moving forward.

At those moments, Holy Spirit comes alongside with support, leading us into truth, away from the lies of this world; reminding us of God’s word and God’s promises, when the worries of the day have wiped them from our minds; holding us up when we are weary; and gently pushing us forward when we cannot seem to move.

Like a knight in shining armor, Holy Spirit rides in to rescue. With help holding us, we can rest, we can trust that arrival is in sight, and we can even stop peddling for a time. When the strong, steady and loving presence of our Helper comes alongside us, we know we will make it home.

• This post is dedicated to my steady, sure and loving husband, Elmar J. Fichter.