Learn How to Ski? Me? Why not?
I’m not sure when I decided that being abandoned and pregnant, wasn’t hard enough,
…or that being a single mom of five boys, wasn’t hard enough,
…or that getting my 7-12 math certification,
or starting my own business,
…or becoming an author and speaker wasn’t hard enough,
But at some point, I decided I needed more challenge, and I guess I decided learning how to ski would pretty much do it. I’m still wondering why I didn’t pick something simple and easy and – safe? Something like learning to crochet intricate doilies. (yep, even with the needles, – safe!)
Throwing myself off a mountain, which is how I see learning how to ski at my age, – definitely not safe!
Maybe I needed to feel alive, to try something new, something that would not be easy.
And maybe I thought learning how to ski beat crocheting doilies – even at my age.
I’m not always sure what I’m thinking.
But I try not to think about that.
So when the school sent out its ski club notification shortly after child support collection unit came through with a long overdue check, I decided this might be our only chance to learn how to ski!
It seemed like fate, like God Himself had put all the balls in play, like He was telling me in His deep wise, kind, booming, all-knowing voice,
MY DEAR CHILD, THIS WINTER YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO SKI…
or maybe I had just eaten something funny.
But either way, when I asked my boys whether they wanted Christmas presents or to learn how to ski, the four older guys eagerly jumped at the chance to ski.
I think the main reason I asked them was in a last ditch effort to give God the opportunity to say,
“Wait a minute, crazy child! You’ve misinterpreted my words. Why would you think I would tell a 40 something year old to throw herself off a mountain top? Quit this foolish idea!”
But He didn’t.
At least, not that I heard.
Maybe I need to listen better.
What God Says About Learning How to Ski
Still searching for an out, I began researching what God would say about my learning how to ski.
Surprisingly, the Bible doesn’t say much about Adam and Eve or Jesus or even the wealthy Saint Paul or any of the prophets for that matter learning how to ski. Actually, it doesn’t say anything about skiing as far as I’ve read so far.
But it does have a lot to say about mountains.
I thought of the many Bible stories involving people and mountains.
God gave Moses the 10 Commandments on a mountain top.
Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure, “Thou shalt not strap two wooden sticks to thy legs and hurl thyself off a mountain top,” is not one of those Ten Commandments.
God brought Isaac to the mountain to be used as a sacrifice…
Oh wait! The idea of offering myself as a sacrifice might not be how I want to approach learning how to ski, but I find comfort in the fact that God, at the last minute, spared Isaac.
Maybe, at the last minute, God will spare me too?
I continued my study of God and mountains by searching for the origin of the common saying, “If you have faith to say to a mountain, ‘Jump,’ it will jump.” in Matthew, Chapter 17 and found that Jesus said
“…if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to the mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” (Matt 17:20)
Maybe learning how to ski is just another test of my faith.
Maybe if I believe God will move that mountain, He WILL move that mountain.
Maybe there is a way out after all. Just because I don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there right?
And I begin to pray for God to move that mountain!
And then I think about what I just prayed for and about my luck and about God’s, sometimes, strange sense of humor.
And I realize that I might have accidentally just prayed for a volcano or an earthquake or something catastrophic to occur while I’m up on that mountain top.
And I begin frantically praying for God not to move my mountain.
I have found that with God, like with my children, I need to be very specific, and that I really want God to hold that mountain very still under me.
And that even more than being specific in my prayer, I have found that I need to learn to trust God with all my heart, with all my mind, and with all my strength.
And even with all my foolish adventures – like learning how to ski!
I have to remember that God always has a plan.
I’d ask for your prayers tonight, but, considering God’s sense of humor and timing and His love of the mountains He created, maybe for once I’ll just ask you to wish me luck instead!
God Bless…