So my New Year's resolution is to write more...we shall see how this goes, but here is a start!

"Lessons from the Ice"

Friday morning I went ice skating with my friend Janelle and her 3 girls. They live in Florida so it was their first time on ice. I had to stifle my laughter as I watched the girls cling to the wall with a death grip as though falling on the ice would be the absolute worst thing they could experience. At first, we tried holding hands while they also held onto the wall, but it just wasn’t working. We couldn’t seem to get going at the same speed. Sometimes I was pulling them back almost causing them to fall. Other times I tried to take the lead so they could lean into the skating (and not fall backward), but that caused them to feel pressure to go faster. In the end, Haleigh, the oldest, decided to let go of the wall and give it a shot. Within minutes her skill had improved drastically and she could stay up on her own. It was amazing! She began to really enjoy it. There was freedom in not holding on to the walls any longer. She was free to really skate and enjoy herself. What had once looked terrifying, was now exhilarating, The walls that had once seemed so safe now seemed stifling and awkward. Once you let get, all you have to do is take one look back at those clinging to the walls to see they aren’t really skating and they aren’t really enjoying themselves.

Isn’t it the same with us? As we begin our walk with Jesus, we step onto the ice rink not having a clue what to expect or how to do this new "Christian" life. Some people just let go and follow Him fully from the beginning. They fall a bit more than the others and their failures are a lot more obvious; but maybe, just maybe they experience a whole lot more of Him. As they learn to follow Him, He takes them by the hand to show them how to do it and to get them going at His pace. 

Then there are those who step on the rink, but being terrified of what full-out obedience might have in store for them, they cling to the walls of tradition or half-way obedience. Oh, they tell themselves that it’s just for a time. Just till they get their footing and learn how to do this on their own. For some, maybe; but for most, days turn into months and years and they just grow comfortable on that wall. They sometimes look longingly at those doing fancy spins in the center, but they convince themselves that could never be them. Sometimes they even fool themselves into thinking they are really skating and that is as good as it gets. Mostly, I think, they are afraid. Afraid of pain. (What if they fall?) Afraid of the unknown. (What if God asks them to do something uncomfortable, difficult, against the grain?) 

There’s no denying that it’s difficult. There is pain, there is failure, there is fear, there is much unknown in following God. He is God, after all...we can’t put Him in a box and predict how He is going to work. But risks bring rewards. Pain brings gain. Letting go of the wall sets you free to grasp His hand and isn’t that the real reward, walking with Him?

Perhaps the issue is not learning “not to fear” but rather, learning to have courage. Choosing to obey even when we are afraid. As Katie Majors said, “I think that maybe courage is not all about the absence of fear but the obedience even when we are afraid. Maybe courage is trusting when we don't know what's next, leaning into the hard and knowing that it will be hard, but more, God will be near. He is the God Who Will Provide...Maybe bravery is just looking fear in the face and telling it it does not win because we have known the Lord here. We have known the Lord in the long dark night." So then learning to have courage doesn’t come from just saying, “I’m going to be courageous. I’m going to do what’s right.” It comes from knowing (really knowing) the One we claim to trust. Courage is rooted in the character of God. The very reason that I CAN trust courageously and that I CAN choose to obey bravely, even when I am terrified, is because I know God...I know that whatever He asks me to do is not just for His glory but also for my good. So how can I come to know Him in this way so that I CAN have courage and overcome fear. The Scriptures, of course! But it doesn't stop there. I must come to know Him by experience. Firsthand. Each time I hear His command and choose to obey, I experience the heart of the God as He takes my hand and leads me.