New Year's Resolutions from Downhill Skiing

Bob and I were blessed to go skiing in December with our son Matt, daughter-in-law Shambryn, two grandchildren, and a group of their friends. Neither Bob nor I are “naturals” when it comes to skiing. 

In fact, the two of us didn’t learn to ski until Matt and David were in elementary school.  We had been appointed to a church with a long history of an annual family ski trip, and our children begged to join in. That meant Bob and I had to learn to ski! After that, we often made a ski trip as our family Christmas gift to one another. Over the years, Bob and I learned to ski.

I haven’t been skiing for several years, so this trip was a special treat for me. In the process of remembering and relearning old skills, it occurred to me that some of those learnings offer useful lessons for the New Year. Here are my New Year’s resolutions from downhill skiing.  

1. If you are not falling, you are not learning.

Even the best skiers fall — remember the Winter Olympics? They fall because they are continually trying to ski better, higher and faster. Although I often fall because I’m just clumsy, I also fall because I keep trying to ski better — and I have the bruises to prove it! 

New Year’s Resolution #1 is to be more attentive to learning and less worried about making mistakes. John Wesley was never satisfied with the status quo. He continued to learn and grow until the very end of his life. I also want to continue to learn and worry less about mistakes.

2. Lean slightly forward at all times. 

This action is totally counter-intuitive for beginning skiers. One’s natural inclination is to pull back or lean back in order to slow down or stop. However, leaning back shifts a skier’s center of gravity off balance, frequently resulting in a spill. Leaning slightly forward puts one’s center of gravity over the tops of the skis where the skier can use his/her whole body to control the skis.   

New Year’s Resolution #2 is to lean forward into 2010. Living 2010 by repeating 2009 will likely result in loosing my balance. Even when I want to return to the past where I feel safe, I need to lean forward into God’s dream.

3. Pay attention to your surroundings.

The Colorado ski resorts have received below-normal snowfall this year, so the slopes are really icy. Thin snow means that rocks, twigs and grass are closer to the surface than normal. It is easy to catch an edge and fall. To add to the natural environment, snowboarders have emerged as a new hazard. The beginning ski slopes are now filled with novice snowboarders. Despite the efforts of the ski patrol, they often whiz by faster and more out-of-control than the skiers. I, myself, got a face full of snow when a snowboarder crashed into me from behind.  I quickly learned to listen for snowboard sounds behind me. 

New Year’s Resolution #3 is to be more attentive to the environment in which we are doing ministry. Our surroundings are changing faster than we sometimes realize, and the turbulence can be quite challenging. It requires that we adapt to an unstable environment.  For example, the economic realities of 2009 have already changed the way we will enter 2010. I want to be watching both for the hazards and the gifts inherent in our changing world.

4.  Keep your knees bent.

The proper ski posture is always “knees slightly bent.” That attitude helps the skier to better maintain agility and balance. 

My final New Year’s resolution is to pray more frequently, pray longer, and pray more earnestly. No matter how slippery the slope in 2010, no matter how many times we fall, no matter the times we forget to pay attention to the changes around us, we can be confident that God has gone before preparing the way. So here we are — at the top of the run. Spread out before us is a whole new year — pristine and fresh. God invites us to push off into the New Year with expectancy and hope, anticipating the thrill of following Christ.

Happy New Year!

Grace and peace, 

Bishop Janice Riggle Huie