Elizabeth begged her daddy to take her training wheels off so she could ride her bicycle like her brother, but when she didn’t immediately get the hang of it, she gave up.

Then one day, she decided to give the bike another try.

She only made it a few yards before toppling over, so she picked the bike up and started to put it away.

At that moment, I decided Elizabeth needed a little dose of faith. After reminding her of the mechanics of keeping her balance, I said, “I believe you can do this. Now YOU have to believe you can. Don’t think about falling. Think about riding.”

Taking a deep breath, she took off with me cheering, “You can do it! You can do it,” while praying God would keep her upright.

And He did! After that day Elizabeth no longer needed me to tell her she could do it. She had faith in her ability to ride — and ride, she did!

Faith in God is a lot like Elizabeth’s bike ride. The first time we step out in faith, it’s because someone we trust convinces us it’s the right thing to do. But after we experience faith that first time, our faith moves to God, who is the author of faith.