Practice Makes Perfect

Feb. 11-13, I went on the Ski Trip with our senior high youth group at Wesley Woods, where we stayed two nights with other church youth groups. On Saturday, all of us were on the snow with skis or snowboards.

Actually, this was my second time skiing. I wasn't sure that my body remembered how to ski. Five years ago, one of my friends asked me to go to the mountains without any ski lessons. I was terrified and kept falling down. I really wanted to give up skiing in the morning, but in the afternoon another friend willingly taught me how to ski little by little. That lesson helped me a lot to take a risk again. I wasn't quite confident that I could ski on the slopes. When I came down, I was scared but I knew how to stop and how to get up when I fell down. I came to know that skiing is a whole different world. This time, I had an idea that my muscles would remember the skiing skills that I learned from my good friend.

When I put on the boots, they were so tight. But I carried on and went to ski. It was so slippery, and hard to walk and balance. For this reason, I took a lesson from a ski instructor. He taught us how to walk side steps and how to turn and stop. We practiced several times on the beginner slope. And then he let us to go to the ski lift. I went to the top of the mountain. I was standing there and ready to come down. I was afraid that people would be able to hear my heart beating. But all of my doubt and fear were gone once I started off. I enjoyed skiing around beautiful nature, people, and the weather. It was real fun to ski with our youth group. Through the ski trip, I realized that learning a new thing is not easy, but practice makes perfect, accompanied with enjoyment and refreshment.

As we enter the Lenten Season next week, we need to have spiritual practices that help us be close to God. In this season, we can learn and reflect on the suffering and the death of Jesus through lots of practice. I hope that the 40 days of the Lenten season will be a meaningful time for all of us to experience the presence of God in our daily life. As John Wesley confessed before he died that "the best of all, God is with us", we also boldly proclaim what Wesley said when our turn comes. In this Lenten Season, may God continue to bless your journey and give you hope and eternal joy through your spiritual practices!

In Christ,

Rev. Sang Hun Han