It’s so easy to get stuck, isn’t it? I was driving my motorbike up a steep dirt hill a little too slowly when my tires slid sideways into a rut and started spinning. I twisted the accelerator as hard as I could but it didn’t help—my bike was stuck. Did I mention that I was two and a half hours from home, on the other side of a massive lake, and considering panic?

I didn’t panic though. Instead, I applied the brakes and called for help. A few of the guys I was riding with helped push me out, and I was able to finish my drive up the hill. The rest of the ride was awesome, even if there were some hiccups.

I’ve just started my last year of high school, and I feel the same way I did when I started the bike ride around the lake—full of anticipation, excitement, and wonder. Just like at any school though, I know there will be some bumpy parts of the road this year. I may even get stuck in a rut of homework and projects, and forget to focus on the important things in life.

And that’s when I’ll remember the bike ride and pray that God gives me the wisdom to call for help instead of staying in the rut. God has blessed me with friends and teachers who are just as passionate and excited about making a difference in people’s lives as I am. I can trust them to help me out of the ruts I find myself stuck in and, God willing, I can do the same for others. We can build one another up as a group of people who are united.

That’s really the call of every Christian—to be aware of the needs of those around you, and to look towards building up the community of believers. Are you doing that?

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Psalm 133