SPIRITUAL LESSONS FROM WATERSKIING
(This article appeared in Insight magazine, based on my experiences at New Frenda Youth Camp)
When I was a summer camper I learned how to waterski, and that was pretty easy... you sit in the water wearing a life jacket, hold the rope bar in your hands, keeping your arms straight, head up, knees bent and back straight... and when you're ready you yell "Hit it!" and the boat starts up and you just let the boat pull you up and you keep your knees somewhat bend and your arms straight and your head up and your back straight and voila! you're skiing! No problem? Right? Well, not for some... in fact, some people give up!
And after you learn to ski on 2 skis, you can learn to ski on one, which
is really cool because then you can really carve the waves going from side
to side behind the boat, making big spray on your turns... And every now
and then you wipe out and go head over heels and occasionally lose your
bathing suit if it's not securely fastened....
And one of the bigger challenges is starting in deep water with just one ski... a real balancing act... and here some people give up again...
But James 1:12 says "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him"
So with this thought in mind, I decided, having conquered 2 skis and one ski and not really wanting to try 0 skis, that I would learn how to jump. So I told the ski instructor and he gave me a lesson. The Jump Lesson.
The Jump Lesson is encapsulated in an acronym: SAFE HO: Stance, Approach, Freeze, Eyes, Hold On, and Okay. And each of these parts of the jump lesson has an important lesson for us spiritual jumpers.
Stance: When you go to jump, you have the rope in to your right side, left hand on top of right, leaning slightly forward, one foot slightly ahead, knees slightly bent, back straight, and your eyes up... and you can't forget the helmet on your head. The stance is important. The normal waterskiing position (arms straight out) would result in your arms being pulled and then your body, which would be a rather uneven journey over the jump... So you have to have the rope right to your body. The knees absorb the shock... the lean compensates for the backward slope of the jump...
Every part of the stance prepares you for the jump, and preparation is important for success. A Christian too needs to be prepared for success, wearing the proper equipment:
A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand fiirm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule the world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. (Ephesians 6: 10-18, New Living Translation)
Approach: As you get closer to the jump, you start to prepare
yourself for going over the jump. You maintain your stance, and you
aim for the part of the jump you will be going over. You start out
behind the boat, but you have to come out of the boat's wake (which is
relatively safe) to go in the
open waters to aim for your target, the far corner of the jump.
We, too, have to keep our eyes on the target. Peter, when he was walking on the water to Jesus, he took his eyes off Jesus:
Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water." "All right, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. (Matthew 14:28-30, NLT)
He lost his focus, and he started to fall. We have to keep our eyes on our target - Jesus Christ, and our thoughts on our destination - heaven, or else we'll get distracted... and when we fall, we risk losing more than a couple of teeth.
Freeze: Once you are about 10 feet from the jump, you roll your
skis flat and freeze. Your position becomes rigid so when you hit
the jump you don't compress. You want to maintain your position even
when the stress of hitting the jump comes. The boat will pull you
back toward the centre of
the jump. And it's very important to roll the skis flat or else
you tumble, on and off the jump... great to watch, not so great to experience.
And so we need to be prepared to stand firm... to prepare ourselves from youth to stand when trials and temptations come. And we need to know that God will be there for us: all we have to do is stand.
Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it. (Proverbs 22:6)
Dear brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who eagerly look for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. (James 5:7-8)
But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory. (2 Chronicles 20:17)
Eyes Up: The biggest mistake you can make in jumping is to let
your eyes drop. Because if you eyes go down, your head goes down,
and since your head is the heaviest part of your body, if your head goes
down, so does your torso, and you do a head first entry into the water...
good thing you
have the helmet on, especially if your skis come from behind and hit
you in the head! <THWACK>
The eyes are the windows of the soul, and if we keep our eyes up, fix our gaze on heavenly things, then we will be contributing to our eventual upward direction. Eye on the prize... eye on the prize!
And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. (Hebrews 12:1,2)
And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself. (John 12:32)
What does it mean when Pathfinders say, "Keep a level eye"?
We cannot keep our gaze down for by beholding we become changed. We have to keep our eyes up.
Hold On: Once you're in the air, you have to hold on to the rope if you want to land and continue to ski. If you decide in midair that you can't do it, and let go, you'll prove yourself to be right. You have to hold on - to the rope, even when it seems you can't make it, and you just might!
As Christians, we have to persevere. We have to keep our hands on the gospel plow, holding on. There will come many things which try to lure us away, or distract us, or just plain discourage us, but if we're going to be successful in the Christian life, we have to keep holding on...
I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already achieved perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. (Philippians 3:12)
Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. (Hebrews 10:23)
With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on everything we taught you both in person and by letter. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)
We have to hold on if we're going to make it but if we do, there's a reward for us: I will invite everyone who is victorious to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21)
Okay! In waterskiing, whenever you fall, you are expected to put your arms over your head, joining hands to make an "O", so that those in the boat know you're okay. And when you're okay, you get up and try again, until you're successful. If you're not okay, the boat will rush to you as quickly as possibly, helping you up from your fall, and bearing you if necessary to the medical authorities to restore you to your rightful self.
And in the Christian walk, we are a community. We share each others burdens, let each other know when things are okay and when they're not. We trust each other, and we love each other because that's the model that Christ gave for us to follow.
Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. (Romans 12:9-13)
So those are the lessons from our waterski jumping experience.
Stance: Be prepared for life; and start now
Approach: Keep your focus on your destination
Freeze: Stand still and see what God will do for you
Eyes Up: Keep your eye on the target: heaven and the example: Jesus
Christ
Hold On: Don't let anything get in the way of you reaching heaven
Okay: Support and be supported by the community of believers
Happy Jumping!
In Jesus,
Dave.