Keep Your Ski Tips Up! (even in the summer)

Have you ever been skiing? You know those signs when you get on the ski lift that tell you to keep your ski tips up? Want to know what happens when you don't?

Well, when I was about ten years old, my sister and I were getting on the chairlift at Brighton Ski Resort in Utah. For some reason, I decided not to listen to what the sign said. I decided to put my ski tips down. Yes, I chose to do it. Needless to say, they have those signs up for a reason. My ski got stuck in the snow and I fell off the ski lift. My sister (still on the lift) turned around to look at me with a face that said, "Uh-oh." They had to stop the whole lift so that I could be "rescued." It was pretty embarrassing. The embarrassing part is that it wasn't my first time skiing. I had skied before, several times. I just chose not to do what it said to do. If I would have chosen to pay attention to the sign and to do what it said, my skiing experience would have been SO much better.

So what does all this have to do with anything? Did you say keeping the commandments? You're absolutely right! I'm sure it can relate to other things as well, but I'm going to relate it to the commandments.



Jesus Christ gives us commandments. Commandments that will up us stay on the path of truth and righteousness. They are for our benefit. Many times we think that the commandments we are given tie us down. That our freedom is taken away. That we can't do what we want to do because of them. Got news for you, they don't do any of that at all! We are more free because of the commandments. We are given so many blessings as we obey. Let's take one of the ten commandments shall we, like "thou shalt not steal." What if you decide that you are going to steal. You go to the store and take something that you don't pay for. Then, the cops show up, and they arrest you. You are taken to jail for who knows how long. And the whole incident then goes on your criminal record. See, are you really more free when you don't follow the commandments? The answer is No.

The blessings that come from keeping the commandments are eternal. We learn from King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon to "consider the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments...for they are blessed both spiritually and temporally...if they hold out faithful to the end...they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness..." (Mosiah 2:41) What a remarkable promise!

I would have enjoyed my skiing experience so much more if I would've followed what the sign said. We can more fully enjoy our experience here on earth as we strive to live by the commandments of God. And in so doing, we can return to live in a "state of never-ending happiness" with our Father in Heaven.

Keep your ski tips up!

Thanks for reading. Until next time...