Our Journey vs Mountain Biking

 Ski lifts take forever. I remember sitting there sluggishly cruising up the mountain looking to the sky. It was clear. The summer day blew a gentle breeze just perfect to the skin. Not too warm or cold. I left the sky and dropped my view to the ground blow. My eyes winded up paths, darted through trees and then turned around leaping down short ledges.  An excitement grew in me with every moment. With our bikes securely fastened to the back of our bench, my friend and I started to figuring path's we wanted to take down the sloped mountain. We did this possible an hour till the lift finally reached the top but spend that much time was so worth what we were about to get into. We were about to go mountain biking down this mountain.
 Mounted on our steads of iron or what ever they make bikes out of, we peddled the short declined from our ski bench to the beginning which looked like tunnel with tall trees growing on the left and right shading everything in between. This part was the novice trail for its wide area and gradual slope. My friend and I wanted excitement. This beginner path wasn't doing it for us. Well the way the mountain worked the starter trail was to be light for it was more like a hallway which contained many different doors. If wanted to, one could take the easiest and safest run so follow the hallway path that lead down to the bottom, or take one of the optional doors that will also lead you down the mountain but with more adventure, danger, and sloped. That's what I had in mind. So not to far further my friend and I took one of the optional door's down a new trail we went.
 It was exhilarating! The speed blowing current through your hair, the rush pumping blood through my veins. I was enjoying it so much. My friend led us down the path then split down a new trail then again a different trail to making the ride more intense each division.
 At this point of our bike ride all was great! We hit a few bumps sometimes and maybe almost tumble off a few cliff ledges to our death... But we didn't so it's ok. But my friend did do at one point was guide us down a really rough path. I was doing fine. The trail was bumpy and rocky but I could do this no worries. That attitude change when my eyes skipped up the path to see what was coming next. The path curving to the left and was divided in half into two. One side, the right side, big rocks, the kind big when the smallest are half a foot tall. The other half little rocks but compact together. Looked like the rocks you may see in someone's yard, all so close together that you can't see the earth through that cracks. And we were head strait for these rocks.
 My friend darted right through rocks like nothing. That is not really fare I feel, rocks just mean trouble for biking. But sense he went through that ment I was committed now to go through also. So reasoning in my head, I knew that the big rocks were impassible with out some sort of devastation. As for the small rocks, I wasn't sure if I make it past or not riding over them. Either way there was no doubt in my heart that this wasn't a good idea. The mind set wasn't to dwell on those things but be thinking I will get passed this. No problem at all. I had just see my friend glide right through I'm sure I'll do the same. Can't tell you if my head was totally convinced I darted to follow the path over the gravel. It doesn't matter because when my tires roll on to the rocks the front tire and back tire of my bike were facing the right way and rotation the right way, just the motion of my bike was going else where. The smaller rocks made the ground turn to ice, so my momentum and direction went the same course as the way I approached, which I'll explain was not the way I need to go.
 My bike slide, hit and completely shifted my front wheel ninety degrees. Having the tires parallel to my handle bars the next play for my bike was flip the back tire over the front ones. Now, the guys back at the biking shop told me that if you fall hold on to the bars to prevent less scratches and injury. I knew I was in to deep for that. I let go and the bike tossed me. I flipped and tumbled and rolled and slid down this mountain trail, the bike shadowing all my acrobatics. The tumble and rumble ended with me sprawled on my back with one leg flat on the ground the other stuffed through the bike frame. I particular was not in the greatest of conditions. In simple terms... I hurt very badly. That was not what I would consider fun at all.
 Hearing a clash behind him, my friend turned around to see the ruckus. Watching me tobble he saw me one moment on the ground the next rolled on the bike then back to the ground then on to the bike, till he witness my ending pose which was something you would relate seeing in a cartoon, sprawled with the back tire infinitely spinning and with my chest slowly rising up then spasticly releasing air and hearing me laugh-groaning over come the pain that just described earlier as hurting badly. The moment finished when I rolled my head onto my cheek to stare in his very worried shocked eyes. With held in tears blurring my vision and teeth gridded I lied aloud in a whispered, "I'm ok..."

 I made to the bottom. Some casualties had occurred from the accident. My knee turned a strange yellow dash dark purple. My bike had this weird feeling while riding it after the incident. Almost like it had biffed over so rocks and just had tumbled down a mountain or something. My pants were torn way down the back. That's cute right. But that all didn't matter. I made done the hill and I learned a lesson about the destruction of small rocks.
 While there at the bottom I reflected the accident. I was following my friend down what ever direction he would take me. He then put me through an uncomfortable situation that I wasn't quite prepared for. He zipped through like there was no danger. I chose to follow, which resolted me spilling on the ground down the mountain path.
 This relates to us in everyday situation. We'll often find ourselves following closely behind some type of leader, whether family, friends, superstar, etc. What if who ever it is leading us does something we know is wrong? The results to the situation could be nothing happens to them. They come out on top and continue like doing the wrong doesn't really matter at all. So we fallow them. But its to late for us. We can't turn back, we're moving to fast and we fall.  Are we careful that we aren't letting the people in our live lead us down dangerous paths?
 Also let look at the accident in this perspective. The rocks in our paths represent transgression because for biking rocks serve no purpose but run us of course or knock us down. Now some sins are big and some are small. It easy for us to look at a big sin and say, "I'm not going to do that. That's a terrible idea. That's going to make my life real hurt if I try that." But then man looks at the sins that are small. He begins to compare them with the big ones around them. "Well that transgression really isn't as bad as the large one over there. I'm sure I'll be alright. I'm sure." If we look back to my experience, the small rocks gave the same results as the big ones would. I fell. I got hurt. Didn't matter if the rocks are big or small the fall is the same. The tumble and hurt is the same.
 Brothers and sisters, we all have made these mistakes in our life. We all have fallen by the temptations of life whether we fallowed a friend into them or chose it on our own. We all have at moments lost righteous judgement and forget that all sin is evil and carries the same destructive power no matter its size.  Sin is wrong in all accounts and can only leads to unhappiness. And we can't avoid it. But we shouldn't lose hope in our fallen states.
 Jesus Christ the Redeemer of all man kind came to earth and died to over come our sins. He love us so much that he went in the Garden of Gethsemane and took the pains of all man kind upon himself so that through our faith and repentance and effort to do his will we can be forgiven of our sins and saved by his mercy. He love us. Jesus wants this for us. He wants us to use his atonement that we again one day can return to our Heavenly Father and receive eternal life.
 When we fall on the mountain our journey isn't over. Though Jesus Christ our mistakes can be forgiven. Our paths can be redirected. Believe in the Savior, let him lift you up and guide you home down the mountain. If  you are darting through rocky paths at this time think you'll be ok, stop. Jesus can us overcome the destructive nature sin. He is there to help us guide us if we just turn to him. I know that through our faith in Christ we can be saved and this is his plan for all the children of man. Don't hesitate to find him. He's there and he love each and everyone of us. He can helps even after the time we have tumbled. I know this to be true.
 In Jesus Christ name, Amen.