Bustin’ a Move

I am a well-rounded athlete. Except I’m round in all the wrong places, because I’m not very athletic. But in spite of the fact that I’m not good at most sports, there is one sport at which I’ve always excelled. Unfortunately, roller-skating hasn’t been a “cool” sport since the ‘80’s. Still, on the rare occasion my family and I venture to the roller-skating rink, I like to show off.

Last weekend we all went skating. It took me a few minutes to get my skate legs, and then I was off. It was like no time had passed since my junior-high cool-kid-with-pom-poms-on-her-skates days. I zoomed around kids less than half my age and pretended not to notice as their jaws hit the floor at the site of the old lady who could get her groove on wheels.

When Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” broke out, I was tempted to bust a monster move, but I refrained because I was afraid I might bust something else. Besides, I didn’t want to be held responsible for the years of counseling my children would surely have to endure in order to get past the humiliation.

As I skated around the oval time and again, wind whipping through my hair, I remembered what it felt like to be young and carefree. What a great feeling! I wish I could go back to the point in life where I lost that feeling, so I could find it again.

Unfortunately, life happens. We grow up. We have jobs to do, bills to pay, people to take care of. And somewhere along the way, we forget that life is supposed to have some fun thrown in. At that point, we might as well just throw the towel in, for it’s all downhill from there.

But life doesn’t have to be a downhill journey. In the midst of responsibilities and illnesses and bills and all that other not-so-fun grown-up stuff, we need to make time to laugh. To have fun. To be kids again.  After all, didn’t Jesus tell us He came so we could have abundant life? Didn’t he tell us He wanted our joy to be full?

Though we can’t turn back the clock, we don’t have to get old. Oh, our bodies will age. But in light of eternity, our spirits are still just babes. There’s no reason we can’t laugh and have fun and enjoy life, even if our skates don’t roll quite as fast as they once did.

And even if we are on a downhill journey, what’s so bad about that? Ask any kid. The downhill parts are the most fun parts of the ride.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly,” John 10:10.