Let’s just say I snowboarded the worst I’ve ever snowboarded in my life, which is really cool when you’re trying to keep up with your friends the whole time. Not. It was embarrassing; I literally fell off the ski lift EVERY TIME Dusty was watching. We got to the point where we made sure he wasn’t looking when I was attempting to get off. One time the man even came out of his booth and embarrassingly said “Hey, next time you get of the lift you’re gonna want to…” I listened annoyed, like I hadn’t been snowboarding every Christmas since 2nd grade. Thanks, bro.
I say all that to set up for this story
I went up the lift with Dusty, Brandon, Haley and Keith. They decide to take a tree run. Immediately I think “Oh crap.” I know theres no way I’m going to keep up, or even make it out alive. They race down through the trees. I decide to take it slow; I don’t need to keep up with them, I just need to make it down in one piece. Well, that was a bust.
They raced down below me. I couldn’t even see them anymore. I feel deep into some powder; I was tired and angry to be left behind, angry at myself for not being able to keep up. So I made the decision to take off my board and walk the rest of the way down. Mistake. As I slip off my board, I slip down on top of it and begin to slide down the mountain, fast. Too fast. I smashed into a tree. Upon hitting the tree, the board stops, but I glide down about 6 feet further. I sit there for a few minutes, assessing the situation. I try to climb back up towards my board. This makes me angrier. Every time I try to pull myself up the mountain, snow slides down, and I go with it. The more effort I put into getting my board, the farther from it I went.
At this point I start crying. I am angry. I am mad. I am in despair. I am desperate.
I cannot do this on my own.
Oh, and the best part: The ski lift that brought me up the mountain is right beside the area I am stuck. As in everyone is staring at me struggling. Everyone is on the path up, as I sit in despair. A total of three people called out to me, “Hey, do you need help?!” To each of them I sobbed, “yesssssss” Three people, within 20 minutes, were willing to help me. They told me they’d send help when they got to the top.
I reach into my pocket for my phone. I have no expectations for service, as we've had none the entire week. I have a message from my dad, “So, hows the boarding going?” which makes me cry harder. Thanks DAd. I attempt to call Haley, the only person on the trip I was willing to admit I needed help to. It didn’t go through. I sit in the dirty snow, crying. Desperate. I even thought to call my best friend, Matt, who is back in Texas. I just knew he could help me. But I decided against that idea. I called Haley again.
She answered.
Through a cracked teary voice I tell her “Haley, I need help. Im stuck in the trees.”
She was on the ski lift, with Keith headed to find me. When I hung up the phone, I heard them screaming my name. “I’m here!!” I screamed back, desperately.
I waited for them, trying to dry my tears quickly. I didn’t want anyone other than Haley and Keith to see me like this. God forbid anyone else in the group would be on their rescue team.
I heard Keith’s voice coming down through the trees, calling my name. I called him to me. He didn’t take his time. He RUSHED to my side. He came to my board first, and gently pushed it down to me. Then, he skied down to my side. He spoke softly; he was gentle and encouraging. He could tell I was not okay, that I needed him.
Just as I began to talk him through what had happened, a ski patrol man came up a few yards from us. “Hey, are yall okay?” he hollered at us. We waved at him, but did not respond as I was trying to explain to Keith everything that happened.
“HEY, LISTEN TO ME!” the man yelled, aggressively.
Keith stood straight up, put his hand out to the ski patrol, and said confidently,
“HEY, I GOT THIS!”
The ski patrol man just stood there.
Keith helped me down out of the trees to a place I could stop and put my board back on, and easily make it all the way down the mountain.
As I got to the easy ground, Haley and Brandon came tumbling to us. As they approached us, they both crashed into powder, skis everywhere.
The ski patrol man was not amused. “Just shows yall shouldn’t be skiing in this area,” he mumbled.
Keith stood up for us. Keith defended us. Keith told him to back off.
We made it down the mountain in one piece.
Although, I left my pride somewhere up there in the trees.
But that’s not the best part of this story
All week with the group, I had been making references to the movie Adjustment Bureau. If you haven’t seen this brilliant Cinemark adventure, the whole theme is that everything happens for a reason. It is all in God’s plan, and He will change the little things so they add up to what He wants. In fact, He uses a group of men to manipulate situations so things work out correctly. Although theres a few “um don’t think I agree with that” points in the movie, its still a cool way to think about things.
So when Dusty found out about the catastrophe that happened in the slopes, he asked me,
“So, why do you think you were trapped in the trees?”
I didn’t know. I couldn’t think of a way God could use my pain in that situation.
And heres the part of the story that gets really good
Keith recognized it first: Every part of my story in the trees was a symbolism of Christ, as our story of finding Christ, of needing Christ.
Going into the trees, I was trying to make it on my own. I was choosing to do my own thing, even though I knew I couldn’t do it.
And I failed. I fell. I crashed and burned. I was desperate. I could not do it on my own.
So, I cried out. As I called out to Haley and Keith, we cry out to Christ.
And like he promises, he will answer. He will come running to our side. He will not leave us on our own when we call out to him.
People passing on the ski lift represent people that are already Christians that already know God’s love story. Most of them just watched me. They sat silently as I sat in my own despair. But a few of them, reached out to me. They told me they would lead help to me. They were willing to reach the broken, the lost, the desperate.
Keith, representing God, rushed to my side. He picked me up. He brushed me off. He spoke sweetly to me as I poured out to him what I had been through.
The ski patrol man represents Satan. (No offense Mr. Ski Patrol Man, maybe you were just having a grumpy day.)
But as Satan attempted to step in-between Christ and me, God put his hand up. He pushed away the enemy and said,
“HEY, I GOT THIS!”
He guided me to safer ground. He showed me his path.
Haley and Brandon also represented the body of Christ. The church. They came to find me. And even though they were there for me, they fell too. They weren’t perfect. They cant do it without Christ either, but they’re there for me, showing me his ways.
So, I know why I was lost in those trees. I know why my tears were worth it.
I was given an illustration of the love of Christ that I could share with others.
Im excited that the Gospel can be shared through a personal experience I have.
So examine your life. What illustrations has God given you? What can you use to proclaim his story? Use it. Its these kind of stories that God uses to lead others to him.
