Flying down the slopes on a bright winter day, crisscrossing a majestic mountain—downhill skiing is truly exhilarating! Great skiing involves balance, stamina, courage, and technique. One key component is keeping the proper flex in your knees. If your knees are too rigid, you won’t be able to absorb the shock and stay balanced when you hit a bump. If your knee flex is too soft, you won’t have the strength to push the skis’ edges and turn effectively. It’s this combination of firm, yet flexible posture that allows one to maintain balance, control, and speed.
The complementary qualities of firmness and flexibility also supply a good model for how we think. A consciousness that lacks firmness brings to mind the saying, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” On the other hand, it is an openness to new ideas that fosters our learning and growth as individuals. Like skiing, it is the proper blending of firmness and flexibility that allows us to build a solid foundation and find spiritual progress.
The Biblical accounts of Naaman and Daniel help highlight how each quality brings physical healing. A great Syrian military leader, Naaman was afflicted with leprosy (see II Kings, chap. 5). When a captured Hebrew maid told his wife of the healing ability of Elisha, a great prophet of her people, Naaman went to Elisha’s doorstep. Elisha, a humble holy man who honored only God, sent a messenger to tell Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River. By doing so, he would be healed.
