Day 44: Christianity is Not a Spectator Sport

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24 niv

One of my favorite activities in the whole world is snow-skiing. I love the feeling of freedom that comes with flying down a steep slope on a cushion of white, sparkling powder. As a matter of fact, I’ve gotten “chapped throat” several times while skiing because I can’t help laughing out of sheer joy when I’m rocketing down a snow-covered hill on twin fiberglass sticks! However, the first time I stood on the top of a mountain in the high country of Colorado wearing a pair of skis, I was much closer to crying than laughing.

Why, you might ask? Because a few of my crazy friends—who had all been ski instructors in college—decided that since I was a decent athlete with daredevil tendencies, we should skip the bunny slopes and head straight to the double black diamond experts-only territory on the backside of Vail mountain for my inaugural run.

I can still remember the way fear surged through my mind and body when we got to the edge of the cliff-face they thought I’d have no problem skiing down. My friends began high-fiving each other, giddy about our good fortune of being the first skiers to venture into the back bowls of Vail that morning. Meanwhile I just stood there wide-eyed and mute, imagining myself cartwheeling, completely out of control, several thousand feet down until I splattered on the exposed rocks below. But I didn’t want to come across as a sissy-baby, so instead of confessing my apprehension, I simply tried to herd my internal butterflies in the same general direction and focused on not wetting my pants. Especially since the expensive pair I was squeezed into were borrowed and I was pretty sure the owner wouldn’t appreciate such a tangible token of my terror.

With whoops and shouts of glee, one right after the other, four of my five so-called-friends leapt off the cliff, executing perfect jump turns in the powdery snow, down the almost-vertical slope until they were wee dots below. One by one they vanished, until my best friend Judy and I were the only ones left at the top. Judy then calmly gave me three tips:

Keep your shoulders square, facing the bottom of the hill.

When making a turn, swivel your hips but keep the rest of your body positioned toward the bottom of the hill.

To initiate a turn, put your weight on the outside edge of the ski you want to turn in the direction of and press down on the little toe of that foot, as well as the big toe of the opposite foot.

After which she smiled as if she’d just explained the easiest task in the world instead of directions regarding hurtling through space. I couldn’t decide whether to smile back or punch her in the neck. What in the heck was an “edge”? How exactly did one “swivel” their hips since as a Christian single woman, that’s not an extracurricular activity I’m familiar with? How was I supposed to distinguish between my big toes and little toes while flailing down a mountainside, especially since all ten were numb, frozen stubs by now?

Given my open mouth and arched eyebrows, I guess the shock and confusion clearly registered because Judy chuckled. Then she took ahold of my elbow, helped me shuffle to the precipice at the top of the ski run and said, “Just point your skis toward the bottom, Lease, and go!”

So I did. And it was a total blast! Mind you, I rolled more than I stayed upright for the first two or three hundred yards. But the snow provided a soft cushion for crash landings and by the time we got to the bottom, I couldn’t wait to go back to the top and do it all over again.

I think young, stuck, or jaded Christ-followers need a Judy in their lives, too. Don’t you? Someone who’ll usher them to the top of the radical-Christian-living hill and say, “Now just point your hearts toward Jesus and go!”

• What’s your greatest hesitancy when it comes to “jumping off the cliff” into a more radical Christian life? What are you in danger of losing if you jump?
• Who is a Judy in your life, someone who spurs you on toward Jesus and challenges you to jump? If you don’t have a Judy, how could you take some steps to find one?
• Who are you being a Judy for in their Christian walk right now?