Anne-Marie here! I’ve made a post before on this blog about how much I enjoy and miss figure skating. The rinks are still closed and I’m still working on doing what I can off ice to stay in good condition. But today I thought it would be fun to show you what I keep in my skate bag and how each of the things inside can remind my of something about God.
The Bible tells us how important it is to think of God throughout our everyday lives, it can be a fun challenge to look at the things around us and see if there’s any way we can be reminded of God through those items. So, let’s take a look at what’s in my skate bag:
First of all, on the outside of my bag I have some patches sewn on. These represent the levels of the basic skating skills program you go through when you take skating lessons. There are three more that I’ve done but haven’t brought the badges for yet…I kept forgetting to get them so now I’ll have to wait till the rink is open again. I’ve also got my booklets where my coach has signed off my skills. These booklets and badges remind me of what I’ve been able to achieve and learn so far. They help me to see how far I’ve come and encourage me to keep going.
For Christians, it’s really important for us to look back on what God has achieved for us. When we see how much God has already done for us, it encourages us for the future. Looking back can remind us of times when God was there for us or when He answered prayers for us. That can help us through times when we struggle to see what God is doing now.
I’ve also got a first aid kit filled with useful things like blister plasters and heat packs. It’s always good to be prepared for every circumstance!
For Christians, the Bible tells us we should also be prepared, ready to explain what we believe to anyone who asks. That means we need to be sure of what we believe, always learning more and being ready to answer peoples questions as best we can. It doesn’t mean we need to understand everything in the world, some things are a mystery, but we should be ready to take up those opportunities when someone asks us why we do things differently.
I have a notebook here too. I use this notebook to make notes about my lessons to help me learn and to keep track of when I last had my blades sharpened.
Studying the Bible and reading it often is a great way for anyone to learn about God. For Christians it helps us deepen our faith and love God all the more. Even someone who has been a Christian for 50 years can still learn more about God through the Bible!
I also keep a few small towels in my bag, and these things called soakers. They’re what I use to take care of my blades. Its important to dry off your skates and blades carefully to prevent them from rusting. Keeping my blades in good condition helps keep me safe on the ice.
Its important for all of us to take care of our minds and bodies, isn’t it! Christians know that part of that means making sure we look after our spiritual lives too by spending time with God. We do that in lots of different ways – some people have a quiet prayer time, some people like to be out and about in nature, some like to find videos and podcasts that help us to connect with God. Just like we feed our bodies, we need to feed our souls as well.
Another essential couple of items are my gloves (two sets, in case someone needs to burrow some) and my thermal boot covers for when it’s extra cold. Keeping warm in a chilly rink is easy when you’re jumping and working hard, but if you’re taking it easy you need to wrap up!
While I can’t put on God’s promises like I can my gloves, the Bible talks about putting on armour of faith. God’s promises are things we hold onto that can protect us in hard times. Just like a pair of gloves can protect your hands from the cold air or the ice when you fall!
Now, the most important thing in my bag is my skates. These can show us a lot of different things about being a Christian.
These skates are what make it possible for me to feel like I’m flying on the ice. The outside is rock hard leather, like a cast you get when you have a broken arm or leg, the stiff leather supports and protects my feet and ankles. But inside they’re soft and squishy. They’re incredibly comfortable for me. As Christians, we want to be hard against the things that will pull us away from God. The Bible says we should resist things that take our minds and hearts away from God. At the same time, we should be soft towards God and others. Our hearts should be moved to give comfort to other people. Christians have to be hard and soft and help support one another.
And then we have the blades. But here’s the blades. There’s a spiky bit at the front which helps us to jump on the ice, a sharp groove all the way down and a long bit at the back to help with balance. When you skate, you have to trust your edges, you lean in or out so you’re actually balancing on a very very small part of the blade. Its scary sometimes, to get it right you feel like you’re going to fall over, but when you lean in and trust your edges, that’s when you’re most safe and secure.
As a Christian, I know I need to lean on God. But, I can’t see God, and sometimes its really hard to even know that God is there. But when I look back at those times when I’ve completely trusted God and leaned into Him, those are the times when I’ve been the most safe and secure. God wants us to trust Him completely, with everything. It feels like we might fall, but God has never let me down so far, and there are many Christians who would be able to say the same.
And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed taking a look at what’s in my skate bag. Normally when I’m going skating I’ll have a few other bits and pieces in there like my water bottle and some snacks, maybe an extra jumper if I’m feeling cold…but you get the idea!
Let me challenge you to look around and see if you can find things that can remind you of God. It could be anything, your school bag, briefcase or handbag and the things inside, the appliances in your kitchen, the toys in your bedroom, whatever! Find your everyday items and think how they can help remind you of God.