By Dad
So I went out for a bike ride yesterday and I learned a lesson about bonking. What is bonking you may ask? Well when you exert yourself in a sport for an extended amount of time, if you do not supply nutrients to your body you will run out of gas. Your body will tell you that you no longer be moving or doing this activity any further unless you give it fuel.
I usually go for bike rides with Mom so I can control how much exertion I use, however last night I was not riding with Mom so I was able to go as hard as I wanted to. I set out on what I thought was going to be a 45 mile bike ride. I drove my truck to where my starting point was supposed to be and I realized that I could not start there so I drove several miles further down the road to a different starting point. This changed how many miles that I was going to cover so it ended up being 32 miles. A lot of these miles would be up hill. I set out at 3:30, I had eaten a good lunch so I thought I had plenty of fuel in the tank. I hit it hard going up these hills, I was having fun and enjoying being out in the good weather. I faced some crazy hills that tested my spirit as well as my body. I ran into trouble about the 25 mile mark. My stomach was telling me to feed it. I was going downhill at this time but I found that I was traveling slower than when I was going uphill at the same spot. My body was shutting down, or in more slang words I was bonking! I was still six miles from the truck and my legs were spent. I was starting to think I was going to have to hitch hike back to the truck. I was able to pedal the bike and then coast for a while. I spent a lot of time stopped and trying to gain more strength. I was able to eventually make it back to the truck and make it back home.
Why do I tell you such a story? This is what I have learned. I have learned that we can all Bonk if we don’t pay attention to the things we are going through. We are all extending ourselves spiritually. We are all trying to live our lives to the most. We must learn though that even though you go to church once a week this is not enough. Just as I ate a big lunch was not enough I learned that I need to replenish these nutrients as they are being used. We need to on a daily basis replenish our spiritual tanks. How is this to be done? It is simple; it is the same answers you have been giving your entire lives in the church, through prayer, reading the scriptures, fulfilling your calling, fasting, and service. All of these items will keep the savior in your mind, in doing so will fulfill the sacrament promise you make of always remembering him, and in turn will give you all of the blessings of having the spirit to be with you always. I can testify to you that you can afford to Bonk physically but you cannot afford to bonk spiritually because this is when Satan will have the most affect on you. Stay strong! Don’t ignore the daily items that are most essential. I know this to be true, and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
