One of my cousins enjoying a ski, Indian Lake, NY
One of my favorite verses is from the end of Psalm 62:
One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Banking on God's love and strength are like depending on both waterskis when you hit choppy water.
When I was growing up, our family vacationed at my aunt and uncle's cabin in the Adirondacks. My grandfather had a motorboat and from an early age we were down at the dock slipping on sneakers (to make sure that our feet wouldn't slip out of the skis) and taking our turn behind the boat. I was in awe of my older cousins who flashed amazing rooster tails, put the handle on an uplifted ski and crisscrossed while skiing double. Soon I learned a few of their tricks. Although I could never compete with that amazing spray, I'd try to lean back or over as deep as possible on my turns, and tried to jump high enough to cross both wakes.
But that was only on the smooth days. If the water was choppy, I stayed in close, anchored to both skis, only venturing outside the wake if the water seemed a little smoother there, than that churned by the boat's motor.
And so it's been these past few weeks. When it's smooth sailing, I am more adventurous, I explore, I stop and smell the roses, I am creative. But when life gets stressful (which sometimes happens despite our best attempts to remain calm), I'm glad to hunker down on two truths: God is strong and God is loving. Hanging on and remembering to let my knees absorb the waves helped me stay afloat even if there were some whitecaps on the lake, and even to enjoy the fact that I could stay standing! Keeping faithful, remembering to breathe, reminding myself of the truths that I stand on, allows me to do the same. And when I look around, I can still be in awe of the beauty that surrounds me.
