An Intimidating Course

AN INTIMIDATING COURSE can psych out even the best athletes. And the ski superpipe at the 2003 X Games Global Championships was the biggest, steepest pipe that even veteran competitors had ever seen. Sound scary?

Not for Sarah Burke. She wasn’t fazed by Whistler Blackcomb Resort’s mammoth superpipe in British Columbia. Even after she crashed hard in a practice run while attempting a 720 the day before the finals, Burke came back and attacked the pipe with more huge air during the championships.

Fans were surprised to see Burke walking and absolutely shocked to see her dominate the largest pipe ever built for this type of competition. In spite of the painful crash the day before, this Midland, Ontario, native was the first woman to ever land a 720 in competition. Her determination and refusal to be overcome by fear gave her the win—and the respect of fans and fellow competitors.

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POINT A brutal crash can be enough to discourage any progressive freestyle skier. Sarah Burke could have looked back at her fall the day before and shied away from giving her all. But she chose to look ahead at the competition at hand. She didn’t let a past mistake hinder her ability to perform when she needed to most.

Making a mistake during sports can be hard, but making mistakes in life because of sin can be much more discouraging. If there was anyone who could have let past mistakes get him down, it was the apostle Paul. Before Paul came to know Christ personally, he was spiritually dead. He hated Jesus so much that he imprisoned and even killed Christians.

Instead of letting the past get him down, Paul confessed his sin to God and followed him. The Lord canceled Paul’s debt of sin and made him a new creation. God used Paul’s life in amazing ways—he even used Paul to write much of the New Testament.

GOAL! Is there a sin in your life that’s holding you back from obeying God? If you confess it right now and ask him for strength, you’ll have the courage to move forward with his help. God wants to do great things in your life!