Last time we were together, I started to approach the trust issue. My daughter and me had joined our church family on an adventure to Snowshoe, West Virginia, for a little bit of skiing. I hadn’t skied in over twenty years, my daughter never. This was an exciting, yet nervous time for the two of us. What would those mountain tops bring us? Or worse yet, what condition would we be in when we reached the bottom? By now, you are probably sensing my outlook regarding this ski trip was none too positive. If you read my story on my first ski adventure, you could understand why. We would spend two and half days in Snowshoe. In my humble opinion, that was two days too long. But then again, I paid for this trip.
And so with anxious excitement on my daughter’s part, we set out to conquer the mountains. But first we had to make it through the equipment preparations. My daughter struggled with the gear. She was nervous and unfamiliar with those wonderful, awkward weights we call ski boots. It didn’t take long for her new frustrations to show themselves. This was going to be a long day.
I will give her credit though – it didn’t take much for her to get comfortable with the bunny slope. With the encouragement of her skillful friends, she quickly attempted her first major run down a green slope. Before I knew it, my daughter was off and skiing with her friends, leaving me behind to manage alone. Visions of her and I skiing together were quickly dashed.
Can I just tell you something though? Momma bear was left back at the station, while baby bear ventured into the wide open mountains all by herself. I couldn’t protect her anymore. I couldn’t ski alongside her, making sure she made it down each slope. This girl was out of my sight – all day!
Have you ever been skiing with family members or friends, and you find out how inexperienced or chicken you are when they ski by you? My daughter skied past me many times that day. While those moments brought me the occasional reassurance she had been fine, I still couldn’t help but be a little disappointed in myself that I couldn’t join her.
I had to keep trusting that she would be fine. I had to keep reminding myself that God was watching over her. She was having the time of her life. She had conquered her fears and frustrations, and as a result grew more confident with every pass.
Lamentations 3:22 says, “The unfailing love of the Lord never ends!”
That is great news, because I learned it doesn’t end on a mountainside either.
Father, thank you for protecting my daughter during those initial ski runs. Thank you for protecting me too. Father, I pray you would continue to keep your hedge of protection around us each and every day regardless of whether we are skiing down a mountainside. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Standing on the promises of God, (and flat land),
Jeanette Duby
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