Roller skating

I remember learning to roller skate. I had German measles, and felt fine, but my mother kept me home. So I went out into the back yard and practiced skating on the narrow path.

Soon the measles went and I could go into the front yard, going from one grass verge to the other of the wider path, until I eventually got up the courage to head out round the block. It was exhilarating and so freeing to glide along on those wheels!

I’ve been thinking a lot about the journey of faith lately. I think we’re all learners, like I was on the roller skates, when we take those first moves of faith towards God. We’re not sure how much we can trust him. We’re not sure exactly who he is. We’re not sure he’s able to keep us from falling. So we play it safe. We don’t want to go overboard and come a cropper.

Gradually, though, if we persevere in reading the Bible and in speaking to him in prayer, in hanging out with others who know him, we get to know him. We learn more about him. We read about him and then, importantly, we internalise that, so that our faith moves from our heads to our hearts.

And when it hits our hearts, look out! That’s when we start skating round the block. And maybe even a bit further.