The day before my birthday this year I decided to go ice skating with my sisters who, at that time had been learning how to ice skate all summer. I have been ice skating once in my lifetime, during college and it was an epic fail. I have never had an official lesson and it’s absolutely nothing like roller skating.
While my sisters glided freely in the middle of the ice rink, I was sitting on the outside with my skates on completely afraid to get on the ice and fall. I eventually gathered the courage to get on the ice and held on so tightly to the wall as if my life depended on it. My form of “skating” was using my hands on the wall to push my body forward on the ice. I did this for at least 20 rounds around the ice (this was a pretty big rink) but the more I did this, the more comfortable I became with the ice and I knew that at some point I was going to have a to take a risk, go out of my new comfort zone and elevate to a new level of skill.
At this point you are probably wondering why I’m telling you this, as if you care about my skating experience. Just rock with me for a second, I promise I’m taking you somewhere.
Eventually I got the courage to take my hands of the wall and start pushing my feet, one at a time, in front of each other. I looked so silly at first but soon in came naturally. As I became more comfortable, I took longer strides. My sister, who was a more experienced skater was right beside me the entire time telling me what to do. When I felt brave enough to go faster I realized I didn’t know how to stop if I needed to. She had to teach me how to stop. I became good at it. By day 2 on the rink I was gliding around as if I had been skating for a while. With my sister beside me instructing me and my willingness to step out and try a new step I succeeded and became better with my skating.
The first few times I fell (while I was still on the wall) my sister was helping me to get back on my feet and holding me up. By the 2nd day when I was confident and moving around quickly, I fell so hard in the middle of the ice, far away from the wall. My sister came running (or I guess skating) to see if I was okay. I was fine, I just need help getting up. Instead of her running to help me up, she told me how to get up on my own and stood there until I was able to do it successfully.
That night I lay in my bed and thought about how my experience with ice skating is so similar to being a Christian and walking in the faith (aaaaye I told you I was taking you somewhere :D). In the beginning, we were probably all like me, standing outside the “rink” wondering should I follow God? Can I do that? It looks challenging. I don’t even know what to do. Eventually we heed to His calling and step into the rink of being saved for the first time. We don’t know what to do, we don’t know how to pray. We just hold onto God and people who are older than us in the faith, like a baby, and let them guide us on where to go and what to do. If we stumble, they are there to pick us up and help us back on our feet.
However, just like I went around that rink on the wall at least 20 times, there is a time when you have to start growing up. There is a time when you have to stop holding onto the “wall” (people) and start living the faith for yourself. You are going to have to stop relying on people to pray for you and pray for yourself. You are going to have to stop depending on the pastor to feed you the Word once a week and start feeding yourself the Word the other 6 days a week. You are going to have to stop waiting for people to tell you what God is saying and seek Him for yourself. It’s time to let go of that wall. Step out of your comfort zone and just start “pushing” one foot in front of the other.
Eventually your “pushing” won’t seem weird anymore and you’ll start to glide freely in your walk with Christ. He will elevate you and you will gain confidence in your knowledge and relationship with Him. This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever fall though. We all do at some point, we’re human. There comes a point where you have to learn to get up without people babying you. I’m sure my sister wanted to pull me up when I fell on the ice, but if she kept on pulling me up, I would never learn how to get up on my own. Though your brothers and sisters in Christ are there to pull you up, sometimes they have to let you pull yourself up so that you can learn how to do it on your own. You can learn how to pray yourself through that trial and through that storm.
I’m definitely not a professional skater but I can now hold my own when I go to a skating rink. I know the basics and can teach them to someone else who might not know anything at all. Now that you are skating freely in Christ, go back and help someone who is standing outside on the “rink” bring them in, mentor them and teach them how to “skate” in Christ.
P.S: If you are struggling with a fall that you have had or are having in Christ please check out the blog I posted a few weeks ago called Rescued
xo
Tasha
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