7 Sep
The Hills Are Alive! And They Took My Pride…
Several years ago I fell in love with the idea of snowboarding. I knew how to ski, but my teenage spirit yearned for new thrills (and boots that didn’t make me walk like a robot). I immediately jumped at an opportunity to take lessons with my brother and a couple of our best friends.
After a long day on the slopes, our pride was as bruised as our backsides. Following countless valiant attempts, we had successfully made it from point A (top of the Bunny Hill) to point B (bottom of the Bunny Hill) without “eating it.” As we began cheering, high-fiving and smugly laughing at the 5-year-olds who hadn’t reached our status yet, I couldn’t help but want something more…
Not long after that, my friend Jason invited me out to the mountain with him. Although I initially refused (I had decided knitting was my new passion in life), I found myself facing my old enemy. I instinctively started towards the Bunny Hill, but Jason stopped me, informing me that he would turn me into a snowboarder even if it killed him (which was a high possibility!).
The chair lift creaked higher and higher. This was my Everest. This was my Mount Doom. I would conquer this mountain or die trying! When we reached the top, Jason positioned himself in front of me, so that we were facing each other. As he held on to my shoulders, we made our way down the hill together. He told me when to shift my weight and, as I followed his example, I began to catch on! If I looked at my feet I would fall, but as I kept my eyes on my teacher I safely made it to the bottom of the hill. I had done it! My love for snowboarding only grew from that point forward.
The fear of failing robs me of much that God wants to do in my life. When God reveals His will to me, I counter-attack with a hundred excuses why I am not good enough to follow through. My dad wisely told me, “When someone says, ‘God could never use me,’ it reveals more what they believe about God than what they believe about themselves.” When I tell God “I can’t,” I am really saying, “You can’t.” It means I don’t believe God is powerful enough to use my life to do amazing things.
But Job 42:2 says, “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” It is God’s power that works through us, and He will never ask us to do anything that He will not also empower us to do. If we are obedient to follow Him, He will hold on to us and guide our path. As long as we keep our eyes on Him, we can successfully navigate through everything He asks us to do and will experience the unparalleled world of joy that opens up when we choose to obey.
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Filed in: Responding to God, Trust
About the Author
Mike Blackaby is a 22 year old student who plays guitar in a rock band, loves to snowboard, play hockey, and cheers for the Colorado Avalanche. He is terrified of spiders, but loves reading fantasy novels, watching movies, taking road trips, building camp fires, and will do any roller coaster if someone goes with him. You can contact him via Facebook.
Read more about Mike here.
