Eyes on the Prize

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

One year when I was still a youth in my church youth group, we went to Winter Park Colorado on a ski trip. I decided to go simply for the fellowship and to be with my friends. I knew I wouldn't be able to ski. A few days after I signed up to go, my youth minister pulled me aside after Wednesday night Bible study and said asked if I wanted to ski on the ski trip. I kinda chuckled at him and said, "very funny, Clayton." He laughed and then told me that he'd been checking out the resort we were going to and as it turns out, it was one of the top resorts for disabled skiers and that if I wanted, I could definitely ski. Talk about a God Thing! I sat there with my mouth hanging open for a second and said, "Yes, Absolutely!"

A few months later a bus full of youth were headed off to Colorado. As I sat on the bus, I prayed for God to work that week on me and everyone else and to reveal Himself in a different way. I prayed that I would be able to conquer my fear of heights and to really enjoy what is and was quite possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Upon getting to Colorado, God definitely revealed Himself in the amazing beauty of that place! I'd been to Colorado before, but never had I ever seen it like this! Wow...I just had to stand there for a second and take it all in. It was BEAUTIFUL!

On the morning of my first ski lesson, I was a bundle of nervous energy. A mixture of fear, uncertainty, and excitement ran through me. Clayton went with me to meet the people who would be my instructors. I really don't consider myself to be a clingy person, if anything I'm just the opposite but as Clayton gave me a hug and left me for my lesson, I was fighting the urge to beg him to stay. I could only pray he didn't feel me shaking as he released me from the hug and left. I was trying SO hard not to cry, I was scared to death. The only thing that gave me any comfort in that panicked moment was the walkie talkie he had given me. He had one and I had one, if I needed him, all I had to do was get on that and he'd be there. For the first five minutes after he left, I kept my hand in the pocket of my ski coat and gripped that walkie talkie with shaky fingers.

Once my lesson got started, I began to calm down and got much more comfortable. They put me in a boot like ski and had one instructor attached to the boot from behind me and one attached to the front. The one in front would go down the slope and then I skied to him. My first couple of runs were falls, but as I kept trying, I learned that if I kept my eyes focused on the instructor in front of me and didn't take my gaze off of him, I didn't fall and made it to him in a much smoother trip. There were times on the slopes that it was crazy, people were skiing beside me, or the snow was coming down really hard making it difficult to see and I had to mentally and physically block out everything and everyone around me and just focus on the instructor in front of me.

It occurred to me that our walk with God is the same way. If we keep our eyes on Him, we'll get to where He wants us in a much smoother fashion. Sure, the ride will still be bumpy, but if we keep Him the most important thing in our sight and not get distracted by the things that try to rip our gaze from Him, we'll make it. And...If we find ourselves in need of help...Jesus gives us our own walkie talkie straight to Him...Prayer. All we have to do is call out to Him and He'll be there.

It's been YEARS since that ski trip but I still cling to the lessons God taught me up on those slopes even today. Stay focused. Keep your eyes on Him. I promise, He will make the trip worth it!