I want to share an experience I had today when I went skiing. Personally, I love skiing. There is something about gliding over the snow so fast you feel like you are flying that appeals to me. I love going over small jumps and catching a few seconds of air. I love alpine skiing. As long as it doesn't end up being cross-country skiing (I strongly dislike cross-country skiing) and as long as the slope I am on is in my range of physical ability.
The place I was skiing had added quite a few new runs and chairs that I had not tried out yet. I normally know this place like the back of my hand, but I was getting thrown off by all the new chairs and runs.
On my second run I did the trail that is as far as you can go to the right. I then remembered I had a skiing lessons, and a friend to meet, so I decided to race down to the lodge. I run into a chair lift I have never seen before. The rest of the hill behind the chairlift is blocked off, so I must go up the chair lift. So I ride the chair lift up, convince myself that I know where I am, and head off in the direction I think the lodge is. How wrong I am. To make matters worse, it is snowing, and I am freezing.
I race in the direction of the lodge (in my mind that is) when really I am going in the wrong direction. I end up at another chair lift. I ask the worker at the bottom what the quickest way is to get back to the main lodge. He tells me to take a left at the top of the chair lift and follow the boundary on my right for a while, then take a green run back to the lodge. As I ride it up, I look down and become uneasy. I have never seen this territory before. Also, there is almost no snow that is packed down, and I hate skiing in powder. As I get to the top I try to remember what the worker told me. I am utterly lost. Did he tell me to keep the boundary on my left? Or on my right? I see the boundary to my left and decide he said to go that way. I am basically cross-country skiing, and up hill sometimes too. I keep telling myself that I'm almost there. Not knowing how far from the truth my thoughts are. I check my phone. No reception.
I start pleading to God to give me strength. I feel like crying, but I know it wont help me at all. As the tears collecting in my eyes steam up my goggles, I keep trudging along wishing it would start going down hill. Finally it does, but then it is so steep and the powder is so thick, that I know I can not ski it. I have been talking to God for a while now. Thanking Him for giving me strength. At this point, I ask him to give me courage, and to help me. I decide that I don't want to get injured way out here, so I take off my skis, collect my skis and poles in my arms, and slide down the hill on my bum. It worked surprisingly well. At the bottom of the hill I started hiking, because the powder was up to my waist, and I would get nowhere on skis. So I hike until I come to some one's ski tracks, then I use there ski tracks as something solid so I can get my skis back on. I take out my cell phone and call my friend I was going to meet. (I suddenly have reception?) I tell her I am hopelessly lost, and will try to get to the lodge as soon as I can. Her mom and my mom are with her and they try to figure out where I am, but ended up not helping at all. I ski through the trees, and eventually come out at the bottom of the chair lift.
I have wasted 40 minutes tiring myself out and doing a loop. I ask the worker again, and this time follow directions. After making a few more guesses on which trails to take, I made it back to the lodge in about 30 min. I had been close to tears for quite a while, and when I walked inside and saw my friend sitting at the table, happiness, thankfulness, and relief bubbled up inside of me and I started crying. I told them more details as I sipped my hot chocolate, munched on cheetos, and tried to stop crying.
Through that, God was my comforter, my strength giver, and my rock. I know he heard me when I told Him I was weary, because He gave me strength. I know He heard me when I told Him I was lost and needed direction, because He guided me. And I know He kept me from getting, frustrated and angry.
So although I wouldn't ever want to do that again, God taught me something from it.
I figured out later, I had gone as far to the left on the slopes as I could go, to as far right on the slopes as I could go.
~Melody
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