As I have stated in other posts, Mike and I have been teaching a lot of ski lessons. Some of the lessons have tried our patience, some have tested our physical limits and some are down right discouraging. But there are some lessons that have taught us how a simple
interaction with a kid can have an impact for a lifetime.
The other day I was starting to doubt whether me teaching ski lessons really made a difference at all. Then I had a lesson with two middle school boys that reminded me of something; the smallest
interaction, the smallest words of
encouragement, or the
excitement of getting to "the big hill" can give kids all the hope and confidence they need.
I spent most of the morning working with these two boys; one caught on faster than the other, but they both seemed to be enjoying themselves. They finally graduated to the big hill where I was confident they could ski down it without me...and without killing themselves or others. A while later another staff person came up to me and told me that one of the boys I had helped was now teaching another kid how to ski. I believe the boy said to his student, "I know how to ski because I had a great teacher...and now I can teach you
everything about skiing!" If only the boy knew that I learned how to ski just a few months back and I myself was still learning.
In my eyes it was just a simple ski lesson, in the boy's eyes it was someone else believing in him, encouraging him and giving him the opportunity to succeed in life. It is funny how often we think the little things in life don't really matter, yet, it is usually the little things in life that God uses to be the most life changing.
