Have you
ever worn old-fashioned metal roller skates that strapped onto your shoes? I
spent many happy hours winging my way along the sidewalks around our house and
neighborhood.
These skates
required a skate “key”. I remember stringing a piece of yarn through the long
slit in the middle of the key so I could wear it around my neck while skating. The
hexagonal loop on top was used to turn the bolt that adjusted the length of the
skate and the other end fit on the pin that tightened the toe grips. This made
it possible for siblings with different shoe sizes to share the same pair of
skates.
After rolling over cement sidewalks, with the
rhythmic ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk of the wheels hitting the cracks, I often
discovered the fittings had loosened with the repetitive jarring. If not taken
care of, the parts of the skates would slip and slid or even fall off, causing
twisted ankles, skinned knees and bruised palms. Having my key handy for adjustments
assured a good, long and safe skate time.
As we skate
along in life we often encounter bumps in the road. At times, it can feel like
we are being as regularly bombarded as those unending cracks in the sidewalk
that I skated over as a kid. Our life can feel like a series of ka-thunks that eventually
rattle us to our core.
What serves
as our “skate key” when that happens? Where do we turn to regain our strength,
to help us adjust and hold us together? For me, it is God and His Word.
2 Timothy
3:16 informs us that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach
us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects
us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
When I think
I can’t go on anymore without falling apart, God reminds me, “When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be
burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2). He urges me onward
with the words of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ Who
strengthens me.”
When my faith
is wobbling under pressure, I hear God’s still, small voice encouraging me to keep
my eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.
(Hebrews 12:2).
When I am out
of alignment, Isaiah 30:21 promises: “Your own ears will hear the Lord. Right
behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether
to the right or to the left.”
I trusted my
old skate key to keep my skates in good working order; and I can depend on God’s
Word as I traverse the cracks and bumps of life.
Be encouraged!
Pam
©2015 Pamela D. Williams
