Segway to Segue

By Wendy Gustafson

A few years back, my roommate from college came for a visit. After breakfast on her first morning here, I announced that we were going to spend the day Downtown. “We have tickets to the Red’s game!” I said, “But before that, we’re going to take a Segway tour!” She must have heard “subway tour” because, for some reason, she thought we were going to tour the underbelly of the Great American Ball Park. What a surprise to find that we were taking her to a street corner deep in the city where I expected her to stand on a little platform hooked to a motor and ride all over downtown Cincinnati and love it! Janet is a good guest. And I think she might love me more than she trusts my judgement. She strapped on the helmet. She signed the waiver paper with barely a whimper, and she steeled herself to try. Out of the building and onto the pavement we went to try our hand at taming our Segways. Instruction followed, and who was first to try this bucking bronco? Me! Who was last to mount the rolling deck? Janet. Bob took easily to his conveyance and we were off! The group moved together with our handlers, down the sidewalks, and across the streets to the Cincinnati riverfront. It was a great day to explore the parks and practice our maneuvers in a safe place. Janet stayed upright the whole time.

The whole idea of the Segway is to get somewhere and back again, and enjoy the ride. You let the thing do the work. You ride and see all you pass from a new perspective. The Segway carries you from one thing to another, up, down, and around. It is just your being there that makes it go. Which way you lean determines which way you go. Just keep your balance, and trust the thing under and around you.

We had a great time. Our Segways held us up, carried us through this adventure, and took us back to East 12th Street and Vine, where, with our feet safely on solid ground, we were off to our next adventure! (Go Reds!)

Here’s the segue:

We are here to learn to rely on Jesus to carry us, to surround us, and to move us through life. Like riding a Segway, we are moving through life fast or slow, always going from one thing to another. As we travel through our days, we try to keep our balance, try to keep in mind where we are going and how we think we will get there. We need Jesus to show us which way to lean, which way to go. We’re here to enjoy the wind in our faces and the tapestry of what there is to see and know. There are things to feel and tell. And here is Jesus to help make sense of our lessons, show us how to love our neighbor, and teach us what is valuable and why. Here is Jesus to hold us up, carry us forward and bring us safely home.

We just try to keep our balance and trust the thing under and around us. When that thing is Jesus Christ, we have assurance that we will get right back where we started from, The Mind of God.