Lessons Learned From Skiing

   I know...I already blogged about my ski trip. However, I have something to add. :) I had a slightly frightful experience on my ski trip that turned out to be a nice lesson from Jesus. As I grow in intimacy with Jesus I am learning that we can truly learn something from Him in all situations. He has something to say. Just ask.
  A friend and I, both beginners, were skiing with a group but we got separated because we weren't quite as fast. Those who went ahead of us were supposed to be taking us on another ski lift, up a little higher into the mountains. While separated the two of us ended up going on a ski lift that took us up to the very top of the mountain. As I rode up to the top I thought it seemed a little too high of a slope for a beginner. However, I was determined to keep going up. Ha! When we got to the top I saw a sign for a beginners slope so I decided to stay at the top. My friend told me she wasn't quite so comfortable and thought that maybe we should go back down. I sensed in my spirit that we should ride the lift back down. Warning: in case you didn't know this, I am stubborn. We were at the top so I thought we might as well ski to the bottom.

My view as I sat on the mountain.
It doesn't look that bad, but really...

   The first few minutes of the ski were fine. We did great. After we rounded a turn we came into an open space that was very steep. We started skiing down and then we both kept falling to stop ourselves because it was intense. My friend took a really bad fall and just stopped. I was oblivious. I continued to ski down the mountain, fall, get up, ski a few feet, fall, get up, and ski a few more feet. My progress was very slow but I was determined to make it. During one of my times on the ground the ski patrol came and asked me to climb back up to my friend because she was done. She couldn't go any farther. She wasn't hurt. She was simply scared and didn't want to go any farther. I climbed back up to her, about 500 feet up. [Climbing uphill in the snow is very difficult!] I finally made it up to her and then we had to wait for another ski patrol to bring us back down the mountain on his snowmobile. We could only go down one at a time so my friend went first. While I waited for the ski patrol to come back God hit me with a thought.
    Because of my foolish determination to ski in a place that I wasn't ready to handle skiing in, I made a mess of my experience. My friend got stuck. I was freaked out but still skiing. I ended up having to sit on the side of the mountain and wait for a while. I took my life into my own hands. I knew I shouldn't have gone up that mountain. I felt the Holy Spirit telling me not to do it. I did it anyway. I made a mess. We do the same thing in our own personal lives. We say we want to follow God's guidance. When we choose our own way we are really saying 'Hey, God I think I got it from here. I know how to handle my own life.' WRONG! We can't do it on our own. We need God's guidance. We need help from God. On our own we make a MESS of our life. Just like I made a mess of that trip up the mountain.
     Are you struggling with something? Ask God for help. Then, listen to what He is saying. I promise you that life will go better that way. He really, truly, knows best. Just ask Him. :)

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don't try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he's the one who will keep you on track."

Proverbs 3:5-6

(The Message)

Safely at the bottom of the mountain!!