From freestyle skier to son of God

Have you ever hit rock bottom and wondered how life could go on after seemingly losing everything that ever meant anything to you?

Well, Anaiah Kirk has. At the age of 18, he had caught the eye of major sponsors and was on the cusp of becoming a professional freestyle skier.

A life of jetsetting, parties, fame and girls beckoned and Anaiah was buzzing, thinking he had found the life he always wanted.

“I thought I was on top of the world. I was about to embark on a career as a professional competitive freestyle skier, allowing me to travel the world and live an exciting lifestyle,” he writes in the first page of his new book, “The Life I Always Wanted”.

He moved to Mammoth to train, even convincing himself it was the will of God, but within a few months he had become a “stupid, drunken, fornicating jerk, which finally led to my demise”.

Less than a year after his successful run at the US Open in Vail, Colorado, Anaiah suffered several serious head injuries that gave him a 75% chance of going into a coma if he continued with the season.

The severity of his injuries lost him his sponsorship and ended not only his season but his career as a professional skier.

“I wondered what I was going to do. My whole life was wrapped up in skiing,” he shares. “My dream was shattered. I sat at my grandmother’s computer, trying not to cry.”

To make matters worse, his girlfriend had started hanging around with another guy and when Anaiah found him sleeping over at her house one night, he was left feeling heartbroken and betrayed.

It was at precisely this point however that God started revealing himself to Anaiah in a dramatic way. Flipping open the Bible in a moment of desperation, he stumbled upon the Book of Hosea, in which the Lord indicts Israel for its adultery and unfaithfulness.

It was a wake-up call to Anaiah as he realised his own rebelliousness against God. From that point on, he resolved to turn his life around and seek God before anything else. He made the return to the church he had turned away from as a teenager and during a Bible study one night, encountered God in a profound way.

Now aged 26, Anaiah sees that time as the turning point in his life. “The Life I Always Wanted” is his personal testimony of discovering something he never expected to find when his dreams started to unravel – a loving relationship with God.

The book is surprising in its honesty as Anaiah opens up about the reality of temptations and struggles that remain even after meeting God, such as doubts and sexual desires. But he speaks reassuringly about the ultimate victory he came to have over his inner struggles and how real the love of God became to him in spite of everything.

Now, instead of living for skiing as he did before, he sees his purpose as sharing all that he has realised about God’s faithfulness and goodness with others. It’s his hope that young people will be encouraged by his own story.

“I am here to tell you what I found to be the truth,” he writes.

“Jesus Christ is Lord, He has changed my life for the better, and this truly is the life I always wanted.

“Since asking the Lord into my heart, my life has not been peachy. It’s full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, moments of great confidence and moments of uncertainty.

“However, I can’t imagine living without the Creator … This book was written for those who may be in the shoes I was in before God changed my life.”

Although “The Life I Always Wanted” is primarily aimed at youths, Anaiah’s experiences are communicated in such a down to earth and personal way that people of all ages will be able to relate to them – and learn from them.

Its manageable length and the author’s suggested questions to think about make it an ideal resource for church youth groups.


"The Life I Always Wanted" is available via Amazon (£8.81) and Kindle (£3.16)