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“Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life” (Proverbs 4:13).
I won’t forget that day on the mountain. It was our first time for snow skiing, so lessons were suggested. Not me, I had been on water skis many times. I could do this. We got skis and boots, and we were ready for the mountain. Everything started off fine. I moved around a little bit then got on the lift. Alright, we were going up the mountain. This is great…that is until I saw the people ahead getting off their seats. Reality began to sink in. I had never done that before. Did somebody say to lean? Which way? My instinct kicked in and I leaned back, only to plop right on my backside. Yes, it hurt. I thought, “I am a quick learner and that won’t happen again.” But it did. Every time I tried to get off, I fell. I could hear the lift assistants mocking me, “here he comes again.”
By day’s end, my backside was sore. I talked to my friend and told him that I had leaned just like he had said. He asked me to show him and I did. “There is your problem,” he exclaimed. “You are supposed to lean forward.” Those lessons began to look a little better.
Too many people try to approach life in the same way that I began snow skiing. They do not want to take the lessons but complain when they get hurt. God’s holy Word is instruction for life (Proverbs 4:22).
One buys a new car and sets down with the Owner’s manual to familiarize himself with the car. He does the same with devices and tutorials. But they do not have time to read the Word of God. Can other books offer this: “the years of thy life shall be many” (Proverbs 4:10)? We all have too many bumps and bruises because we were not willing to get the lessons.
Jesse Tubbs
Madison, AL