A healing on the mountain
One time, I was snowboarding and was having trouble because I kept catching edges. This is when your snowboard gets caught in the snow and causes you to fall. I was so focused on constantly falling that I forgot about all the fun I was having.
On the way down one of the slopes, I started singing a hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal that had helped me before. The first verse says,
Shepherd, show me how to go
O’er the hillside steep,
How to gather, how to sow,—
How to feed Thy sheep;
I will listen for Thy voice,
Lest my footsteps stray;
I will follow and rejoice
All the rugged way.
(Mary Baker Eddy, Poems, p. 14)
This was really helpful. I started thinking about how God was guiding me the whole way, even though the hill was difficult and steep.
After singing the hymn several times, I realized that my problem was that I felt my footsteps were straying. I had been thinking that I was the one in control. But just then, I heard an angel message. This is when God speaks to us in our thoughts. The message reminded me that God, good, is always in complete control.
After hearing this comforting thought, I went back to the basics of snowboarding, leaning on God the entire time. With every turn, I felt calmer, and I continued holding on to God’s message. When I made it down the mountain, my mom asked me how I was feeling. I was feeling great, so we went two more times.
Later, when we stopped for lunch, I started feeling dizzy. I was discouraged because this had happened before, after I’d had a concussion the previous summer. Now I just wanted to give up and go home. Nothing seemed to be going my way.
Then I remembered the healing I’d just had on the slope. With the reminder that nothing could get in the way of my freedom, we decided to go up and try another run. My mom was singing hymns on the chairlift all the way up.
I was able to tune out the fear of being dizzy and tune in to God. I was no longer convinced that the dizziness would stick around. My mom and I went all the way down the mountain, singing from top to bottom.
After that, everything was smooth. And not just with snowboarding. Since then, I have done many other activities, like competitive jujitsu and ultimate Frisbee, and I haven’t felt any dizziness since that day. The best thing is that I am also able to play my saxophone again!
I am so grateful for this experience and, for future healings, will keep it close as a reminder of God’s power.
