Learning to Ski

I didn’t learn to ski till I was well into my 30's. The first time I ever went was the first time I took a group from Peace up to Winter Place in West Virginia. I was not that worried. I figured I could strap on a pair of skis and do just fine, so I didn’t bother to take a lesson. I mean if you don’t stop to ask for directions when you’re lost why would you need to go to ski school, right? So, I went outside and strapped on those skis. Terror doesn’t begin to describe what I went through. I felt like I was on a sheet of ice headed downhill with no way to stop myself but with a suicide fall. After about the third or fourth such fall, I took off the skis and headed for the lodge. My intention was to turn those puppies in and drown my sorrows in a cup of hot chocolate. But after a few minutes in the lodge, my scottish heritage kicked in. Here, I had paid 50 or 60 bucks to rent skis and buy a lift ticket for the day, and I was fixing to give up after a five minute failure. I just couldn’t do it, so I grabbed those two instruments of death (my skis) and headed for ski school.

After about 30 minutes, I had learned how to “Plow” and could actually stay up for more than five seconds. By the end of the lesson I was ready for the bunny slope. It was exhiliarating. I’ve never had so much fun in all my life. By the end of the day I was having the time of my life.

You know, I’ve been skiing several times with groups from the church and I see my story played out over and over again. People who’ve never skied reach a crossroads. They usually try it on their own and fail, and they head to the lodge. Its at that point that they either decide to take a lesson or spend the rest of the time sipping cocoa. And everytime I see someone opt for the lodge I want to go up to them and say, “You have no idea what joy and excitement you’re missing!”

Its like that in the Christian life too. Many people are like first time skiers in their Christian life. They pay the price and rent the skis. They receive Christ as their Savior, but then, instead of taking the risk of being a radical follower, they opt for the safety of the lodge. They talk about how much fun it would be to learn to be a follower of His. They dream about heading down a black diamond slope, the wind whistling past their ears as they take the hill with speed and skill, but they never, ever leave the lodge because they value their comfort more than they value their growth.