Ice Skates and Attitudes
This past Sunday afternoon Colby and I went ice skating with his sisters and niece. That was an interesting experience for me. Growing up in Maine you would think that I am a pro at ice skating since we get so much snow and ice. However, I am not. There was a large swamp in the woods behind my house when I was young that my family and I would go ice skating on. I mostly just slipped and fell, but it was fun nonetheless. Unfortunately we moved away just as I was getting the hang of it. The next time I went ice skating was when I was in high school with a bunch of friends. Again, I mostly teetered around the pond, trying to keep my dignity in tact. We all decided to form a line and skate around together in circles. Much to my delight (sarcasm), I was at the end of the line and thus was the one to be whipped around the circle.
So it was with trepidation that I went ice skating this past Sunday. Even the thought of it made me start to feel stressed. This was when the Lord brought to my mind the thought, “This is a great opportunity to practice having a good attitude!” “Yippee”, I thought, but I knew He was right. I began to pray that God would help me to do my best, remembering that falling down is not the end of the world. When the time came that we went ice skating, I was nervous and did cling to the edge a little bit. However, pretty soon I was able to go at it alone and found myself cautiously making my way around the rink. By the end of the afternoon, I was going a bit faster and feeling more confident! It makes such a difference when you tell yourself that you can do something and encourage yourself along the way. I don’t know as if I want to take up ice skating as a regular hobby, but at least I know that I am capable of it.
Please pray for Colby and I that God would enable us to have the right kind of attitude as we adjust to Japanese culture and learn the language.