Slowing Things Down

Back when I first started ski instructing, I kind of thought I knew everything there was to know about skiing. I had grown up ski racing and training multiple times a week for that in the winter time. In my mind, I had won some races and that made me a great skier. I had even beaten medal winning olympians. Granted, they were probably over the hill by the time I did that but that's not important. I was a great skier, and because of that, I was sure to be a great instructor. I didn't need anyone to tell me how to do it.

In the wisdom of the resort I was working for, they felt I did need someone to tell me how to do it. Because of that, they put all of the newly-hired instructors thru new instructor training. One of their biggest goals was to teach people how to be safe on the snow. I thought, "That's cool but people ski for the adrenaline rush. People need to be taught how to ski fast...and safely, of course." My racing background was certainly influencing my skiing philosophy. When I shared my philosophy with our trainers, I'm pretty sure they rolled their eyes at me behind their goggles.

Everything we worked on was slowing things down. Slow, slow, slow... It drove me nuts. But slow meant safety. Slow meant staying in control. Looking back, they were right. You can always learn to ski faster later on. But when you're a beginner just starting out, slow is better. It's safer.

As they put us thru different drills, something strange started to emerge in my skiing. At speed, I could do everything just fine. But when I slowed my pace down, there were movements I struggled with. When I skied faster, I could cover up some some of the deficiencies in my skiing. With things slowed, problems like balance issues were exposed.

Years later, I started to think about if that can apply to life in general. Are their deficiencies we don't know are there because our busy lives cover them up? Will they be exposed if our lives slow down?

And then COVID-19 happened...

I remember following the early news of COVID-19 and wondering what would happen if it touched our shores. With the way we travel as humans, I knew it was only a matter of time until a major life-changing pandemic hit America.

Over the years, I've closely followed when other countries were hit with outbreaks. It's somewhat fascinating to me. Every time, it has brought up the question of "What would we do if it made it to America?"

Swine Flu was a big deal. I remember traveling during that time. Before we could get off the plane, all passengers' temperatures had to be taken. If a temperature was too high, the authorities would pull the person off the plane and put them in quarantine for two weeks. That would have certainly ruined my two-week trip.

Ebola was also a scare when a traveler brought it back to America from Africa. And then some American medical personnel were infected and brought back to the States for treatment. That got people pretty worried as well. Thankfully, our healthcare professionals did a great job, and it didn't spread.

We'd have to wait until a later date for a pandemic that really scared people. It would come years later and from a different continent. There would be lockdowns, massive media-driven fear...and toilet paper shortages. Because when you have a contagion that attacks the lungs, the first thing you think of stocking up on is toilet paper...

This would stop our nation in its tracks, the contagion...and the toilet paper shortage. Almost the whole world would be paralyzed with fear. Businesses were shut down. People wouldn't be allowed out of their houses. We were told not to work or play around others.

We were being forced to slow down. I know personally, the college I help lead a ministry at was shut down. My hockey season was canceled. And lastly, the state forced all ski areas to close meaning I wasn't going to be able to ski instruct for the rest of the season either. It seemed like everything was being taken away. All of the things that kept me busy, the things I filled my life with, outside of my family, were gone. I couldn't do anything but slow down.

It was almost like God was using this to strip people of everything that defined them.

Work? Gone. Sports? Nope. Friends? Stay away. Play? Only if you can do it in your living room. School? Only online. Church? Not allowed in person or you hate people. But don't worry. You can still riot, loot, and protest in large groups. Thankfully, that gave us at least something to do to get some Vitamin D and exercise outside... And remember, masks don't work. Wait, now they do. But maybe they still don't and are worse for you and others. Doesn't matter. If you don't wear one, you want grandma to die...

Times are crazy.

One way or another, we've been forced to slow down. That makes me wonder what it's revealing in us. For some, it might be depression. Others, it might be addictions like alcohol, drugs, porn, video games, or social media. Maybe it's laziness. Those projects you said you'd do if only you had the time still aren't finished.

For myself, it's reminded me that I really don't like authority telling me what to do. Despite thinking I had matured over the years, I still have a strong rebellious side. Don't tell me to wear a mask. Don't tell me to stay home. That's stupid. I want to do what I want.

Now, being that I think I know everything sometimes, I do have some medical study-based objections to some of the medical advice and restrictions being forced on people by our government. And I so want to delve into that but I'll refrain from running this train right off the tracks. Basically, if you tell me to wear a mask, whether or not they work, there's a big part of me that wants to not wear one just to spite you for telling me what to do. All medical science aside, that's not a healthy mindset to have especially when it bleeds into other areas of your life.

So what do we do with these things? I think if God is revealing these issues to us, it's time to take them to Jesus and work thru them. You can't work thru an issue that you don't know is an issue. But now due to the lockdown, issues might be coming to the surface. Use these times to work thru them. Do some introspection and figure out where they are coming from. I'll say it again. Take them to Jesus. Pray. Get into God's Word, the Bible.

For some, maybe that's the issue. You're not spending enough time with God...or any time with God. You always thought you were too busy but that's continued as things have slowed down. Max Barnett always says something to the effect of, "If you're too busy to spend time with God, then you're much more busy than God ever intended you to be." So spend time with God. Pray. Read your Bible. Listen to a sermon online. Listen to worship songs. Sing along. Spending time with God should be a priority to anybody who calls themselves a Christian. With things slowed down, we've got the time now. Make a habit of it now before life gets busy again. If God is a priority and He should be, you'll make time to spend with Him.

And spending time with Him might even make some of those newly exposed issues correct themselves. But some of those issues might take longer. Keep taking them to God. Keep praying about them. Find scriptures that relate and will encourage you in the fight. Find someone you trust to help keep you accountable. Put up boundaries to keep you moving in a good direction. Lastly, don't let it fester. Don't brush it off. Don't think that you just need to get back to normal life, and it will go away. Use this time to face it head-on with God. Taking it on now will make you more solid going forward. It will put you in a better position when things get back to normal.

As a ski instructor, I can tell you that I'm a better skier now after slowing things down, exposing those weaknesses in my skiing, working on them, and building a more solid foundation. Slowing things down allowed me to work on those balance issues. Now, when I go at much faster speeds, I'm more technically sound and have even better balance at those high speeds. The better balance I have, the faster I can go. The faster I go, the more fun it is, the bigger adrenaline rush I get. And we all know, people ski to get that adrenaline rush.

So what are these slower times exposing in you? What might God be showing you? Maybe it's not something new. Maybe it's something you've known about but never addressed. Let's not waste these days. Let's use them to take a look at what God might be exposing. Let's give those things to Jesus and let Him help us work thru them while life is at this slower pace.