I can still remember the very first day that I learned how to ride my two-wheeler bicycle without training wheels. I felt like I could do ANYTHING! But it wasn't long that day before I fell off my bike and wanted my training wheels on again.

My relationship with God is sort of like this metaphor. With Christ by my side, I feel like I can face anything that comes my way, but the minute I think I can go a little while without Him - I fall. We need Christ, and Christians to be our training wheels in life.

I played the role of Naomi's best friend - Kim, and the more I understood her character, the more I realized that Kim and I weren’t all that different. We both grew up in a very strong Christian background, we are both actively involved in our church, enjoy attending youth group, and just like Kim, I too lost my father.

In April of 2003 my life was turned upside down when my father passed away. Like Kim, I was broken inside - hurting. But I thought that nobody would understand or be able to comfort me. So just like Kim, "when people asked me how I was doing, I said I was fine - I even told God I was fine, but I wasn't. And I hated that!"

Kim was right about another thing too. She reminds us that "we're Christians because we need Christ, not because we can make it on our own." It's important to support and encourage others so that we aren't going through this life on our own. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 reminds us of this importance proclaiming: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any troubles with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Kim was able to support and encourage Naomi through her troubles, because others had supported Kim through her troubles. God NEVER wants us to have to go through this life on our own. He wants to be there, and has blessed us with the amazing gift of community, to help us through this life as well. Ecclesiastes 4:9 states, "Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up... two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three chords is hard to break."

In my life, I'm going to have falls... BIG falls, and some falls that I won't want to get up from, because I'm not perfect. But I am so glad that I have Christ by my side to keep me upright and to steady me - God, You are my training wheels.

(Laura Robinson is from St. Jacobs.)