This weekend Matt and I have had some quality time together on some new trails.

As I watched Matt snowboarding I noticed he didn’t fear falling. He accepted it as part of the learning process. After he’d fall he would hop back up and keep on going without missing a beat.

Then there is me.

My goal when I ski is to not fall. Yet watching Matt helped me realize that I will never get better at skiing if I don’t challenge myself and accept that I will fall at times.

I share this with you in case any of you can relate to me while on skis - or in life. If so, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we not fear falling, either literally into the snow, or falling short on a goal we have for ourselves. Instead may remember that falling is a teacher if we allow it to be. May we recognize that growth can be hard and may hurt, but sometimes the greatest growth happens after a fall when we choose to get back up and keep going, like Matt does on his snowboard.

With love and hope,

Shawn

for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again - Proverbs 24:16