Both yesterday and on Friday, I had problems with snow sticking to the bottom of my skins while hiking up. What happens is that in the warming snow, an initial ice layer forms on the bottom of your skin and then picks up snow. Like a snowball, it just keeps picking up more and more snow. The only real solution is to completely scrape it off, sometimes with your fingernails. And then you have to avoid warming snow. With temperatures in the 40s on Friday and Saturday, this was really difficult to do. It led to my dad and brother having to haul up an extra 10 pounds on each foot, giving them no glide and an uncomfortable walk. It was dramatically harder than it needed to be for them.

This made me think of change or what is often referred to as repentance. Anytime we do something that we know we shouldn’t or make mistakes because of our weaknesses, we need to change. Not only our behavior but also our hearts and minds. We need to change who we are and turn our desires away from the said act. When we are caught in this bad behavior, which can also be seen as sin, it makes life unnecessarily difficult. It’s like walking around with 10 pounds of snow on each foot. It’s like trudging through deep snow when you could be effortlessly gliding on an airport moving walkway.

Like scraping off the snow from the skins with your fingernails, we must find ways to overcome these obstacles and move forward. And just as it’s important to avoid warming snow to prevent it from sticking to the skins, in life, we must be mindful of the things that can cause more problems and avoid them whenever possible.

Life is simply better when we follow President Nelson’s counsel: “Each of us can improve, and the Lord has a way for that to happen. The process is called repentance. When we sincerely repent, we rejoice in the exquisite relief that comes from being forgiven. And, amazingly, that is only the beginning. In the ongoing process of daily repentance, we’re tutored by the Holy Ghost, which helps us to learn from the past, have peace in the present, and create a brighter future.”

In order to help the skins repel the snow and keep it from sticking, you can apply skin wax. Skin wax can be applied to the skins to help prevent snow from sticking to them and reduce the weight that is being carried uphill. There are different types of skin wax available for different temperatures and snow conditions. Some waxes are designed for colder temperatures, while others work better in warmer conditions. It’s important to choose the right wax for the conditions to ensure optimal performance.

Just as it’s important to choose wax based on the type of snow you’re traveling through, the way in which we all change and improve is unique. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, but as we rely on Jesus Christ, he will be able to help us in our journeys, and he is the way in which we can scrape off the snow from the bottom of our lives, allowing us a smoother passage through our time on Earth.