Clip Back Into Your Passion

Some really great things have happened to me in March, and some really painful things have, too. Does anyone else have months like that?

Topping the positive list is my marriage to James. This month, we’re celebrating our seven-year anniversary, marking one of God’s biggest answered prayers in my life. Over the years, I’ve also released two books this month, including Watch Your Back, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary with an audiobook release.

Not all March memories are as sweet. One of my painful memories involved dislocating my shoulder on a ski trip. I talk a little about that experience in this Easter post, which remains timely. Even as ski patrol sledded me down the hill to the first-aid tent, I prayed the accident wouldn’t be my last time skiing. As I welcomed pregnancy and motherhood later that same year, though, priorities shifted, and I didn’t know how long it would be before I would clip into a pair of skis again.

Fast forward five years. In January, we introduced our son Noah to snow on Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain in North Carolina. We took him tubing, sledding, and even skiing! (Yes, they rent skis small enough for three-year-olds.) The night we took him turned out to be ladies’ night, and I could ski for half price. I felt the nudge in my gut to ask James if I could try. Of course, he said yes.

I spent most of my time on the bunny slope with James and Noah. The conditions were fairly icy, much like the day I dislocated my shoulder, but I wanted to do at least one easy green run.

You better believe my descent was slow. You better believe I did the pizza (the beginner’s technique for controlling speed) most of the way down. But I made it to the bottom, where my husband and son were cheering for me.

I am not a great skier and probably never will be, but that’s not the point of this story. The point is that life will sometimes get you down, and those experiences are going to hurt. But that moment doesn’t have to be where the story ends.

God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). If fear is holding you back from doing something you once enjoyed, I pray you’ll give yourself time and grace to heal. Then, I hope you’ll clip back into your passion and try again.

~ Kristen