cool but pathetic story bro

this is kind of an embarrassing story and makes me look really lame and not fun, but MIND YOU I LIVED IN THE DESERT FOR half my life so shhh
anyways
i went snowboarding today at Keystone, and at the end of the day we did night ski. i ended up living out the weirdest metaphor ever for how God is the ski patrol and how i tried so hard for so long to get down the cold, dark, lonesome mountain after my friends left me (very understandably though haha), but had no idea how. never learned to do anything else except heelside which is lame, but after some time left me in excruciating pain. so i was in pain/had no idea what i was doing or how i was going to get down considering my body couldn't do what i needed it to do, and on top of that, i ended up getting very lost and ended up walking probably a mile n a half in boots which made me see that i needed the ski patrol and also that i am neither a skiing or snowboarding person, but a hiking downhilll and awkwardly talk to strangers person. all 3 people i encountered walking downhill all encouraged me in the weirdest ways, were all different but layering influences that eventually made me realize that that was what the ski patrol was for- that all i had to do was overcome my pride and admit to someone, the only person who could really help me, the ski patrol operator, that i simply could not do it. i was in pain. i was lost. i was in over my head and had nooo flippin idea how much longer i would have to walk if i didn't call
i earlier on the trial went to the emergency phone and thought about using it- but it was big, red, daunting and had a lock on it. i figured my problem was too small and they had better things to do than to help me, someone who basically gave up. so i kept walking- at one point some lady crashed right beside me and asked me about where the gondola was- looking like she was ready to give up, too. i told her i "wasn't feeling well" and she said, "oh honey. you don't plan on walking all the way down do you?" went on to say that i had at least a couple miles ahead of me. i let on to her that i just simply couldn't snowboard any more. she ENCOURAGED me to call the ski patrol- that's what they are there for. i was like wat. and saw that another emergency phone was right across the way from me. i didn't miss my chance- the ski patrol is never far. all i had to do was call. i ran over, and when i called i apologized explaining i wasn't really injured but didn't know how, and couldn't get down the mountain on my own. the guy told me it was totally fine and that they got calls like that all the time. i was relieved to know that i didn't have to be missing a limb in order to call.

i guess i was under the impression they were going to bring one of those snowmobiles legit looking with lights and poo poo. but instead, a single man showed up and addressed me by name, he told me his name was joe and pulled up a safety sled that i didn't realize was a safety sled. he was going to carry me down.
i got in and he warned me to put my goggles on cos his skis would kick up snow. he told me to hold on, and we started moving and it was really fun and nice and cool and realized it was pathetically and hilariously the most fun i had since being there that day, and i wished i had done it sooner. THEN: we came to the steep part of the run, and he warned me that he would have to go "a bit faster in these parts, so hold on." at this point i became scared, but had no choice but to fully have faith in him and trust him that he would protect me and make certain that i wouldn't get flung into the woods to get impaled by a tree. to someone who had only ever loafed down a hill heelside, he was going SO SO SO FAST. i was impressed, worried, scared, but also realized that he knew what he was doing a thousand times more than i ever did on my decent. i then let go of my fear and let him carry me, and i just enjoyed the ride and being pelted in the face with the powder from under his skis.

when we were finally done, i had just got done having this epiphany that God put me on that damn mountain to experience some sort of physical analogy of what it is like to walk in our sinful, helpless, aimless state,(i was in pain, lost, alone and confused). but he also wanted me to physically feel the thrill, fear, joy, relief that comes with placing your trust in Christ, the only person who can save us- who is always there, will always come to us, is never far.but in light of what condition we are in, and seeing what is available to us in Christ, what we NEED is this:
to first REALIZE that we are helpless and unable to make the decent demanded of us on our own, and second, to REALIZE that the emergency phone is there for that very reason, and lastly to PICK UP THE PHONE, and tell the operator your emergency, no matter how pathetic you think it might sound.

life after that phone call includes a warning- that God might be fun for a while, but trusting in him to carry you also includes trusting that his knowledge, his love, his will and thoughts are much beyond our understanding (Isaiah 55:8) we do not know the decent like he knows it. we do NOT KNOW HOW TO SNOWBOARD. WE DON'T. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SNOWBOARD AND I LOVE JOE THE SKI PATROL GUY and when i got off the thing, like i said, i just had this mind blowing awkward spiritual revelation while he was sledding me down the mountain, and so i think i may have thanked him too much. just kept saying thank you so much i'll remember this and ended up walking away without my board and he was like derp hey don't forget your-- oh yes i might need that thank you joe hey thanks again, seriously thank you so much, thanks, thanmk you, thanks so much, than aksdahtk athanks thatskansfaw;elh

some of us might be missing limbs, have broken equipment, be lost, have a stomach ache, have hypothermia or have become just plain exhausted to the point of tears from the endless trial and error that comes without a teacher. but all of us have one thing in common that the ski patrol understands and is compassionate towards- we can't get down the mountain on our own. we need the ski patrol. we need God's grace, we need Jesus.

praise God