Backwards

This morning I watched some thirty or forty kids, aged four to seven, skate backwards at Campion Rink.  There was nothing elegant, nothing synchronized by what I saw.  Still, there was something awe inspiring about it.  These little boys and girls accepted without question their coaches' instruction to do something that isn't, well, natural.  Think about it.  People.  Very young people.  With blades on their footwear.  Propelling themselves on a glassy surface.  In reverse.  Amazing.

This wasn't the kids' first time out on the rink, of course.  They've been developing skills, learning the fundamentals, engaging in drills, week after week.  Over the past month and more they've developed trust in their teachers who've both encouraged and challenged them.  This morning they knew they wouldn't be asked to do something unless someone believed they could do it or at least give it a reasonable try.

The Lenten journey is a lot like my son's hockey lessons and by this point in the season, we're ready to begin skating backwards.  We've been limbering up, acclimating ourselves, settling into a rhythm.  Now we can do deeper, farther into Lent.  Doing so may be exhilarating or it may be unsettling.  But do so we should, indeed must if we are to be ready for Easter.  Fortunately, we will do so with the encouragement of God, the example of Jesus, the presence of the Holy Spirit.  So let's try.  Let's try skating backwards.  Who knows where we'll wind up?