Lesson #2

So on to what happened this weekend. And if you guessed that it involved soccer than you know our family well because we are in that season of the year.
Sweet P Kailee taught me another lesson this past weekend. In my play by play typing voice....Kailee was fighting for control of the ball when she was kneed in the thigh. She could hardly put weight on her right leg, her kicking leg, for several seconds (mom voice- it felt like so much longer). She slowly started to try and walk it off as the game went on around her (mom voice again- I know she is tough, but I could see the pain on her face as the seconds, seemed like minutes, go by). Other parents have noticed that she is in pain and cannot run; we need her to run. It's a tough game and she is counted on to be a good offense player, but she is still not able to keep up. Then I hear some parents yelling for her to be taken out of the game. The yelling becomes louder as I am thinking to myself (okay yelling back in my own mind) that she's almost there, she's trying her hardest to shake it off and keep going. Finally the coaches hear some people are frantically yelling at them, and they ask Kailee if she is OK and get ready to sub her out. But my tough little Sweet P says she is fine; she wants to keep on playing. I am thinking to myself,
Oh no, she better really be OK or some of these parents are going to lose it if we lose because she can't keep up. Then within a minute, Kailee gets a great pass from her teammate and kicks it with her hurting leg and, in my best soccer announcer voice now, GOOOOOOOAL!!!!
My mommy voice wanted to roar out that's my girl; I knew she was tough, but God thankfully kept me firmly seated in my chair. Really I was holding the tears in I was so proud of her for pushing through the pain and seeing it pay off (also thinking boy I'm glad I have sunglasses because I would embarrass her if she saw me crying).
God used this to remind me of the times in life when we fall down or mess up and get hurt. It feels as if people are screaming for us to get off the field and give up. But God is there with His promise that we can do all things through Him who gives us strength. Am I listening more to people's opinions, which can seem so much louder, or am I listening to Him who truly knows what I am capable of? He knows the best because He made me and He strengthens me in my weakness to do His will.
In this game, there was the pressure of losing. In life, as believers, we already know that we have the victory in Christ. So I shouldn't waste my time trying to keep everyone else happy or comfortable, but only press on to please my Lord.



"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

Lessons from my Sweet "P"

I often call Kailee my Sweet P because she is just that, a sweet little girl with a very sweet tooth. Today I was reminded of how proud I am of her and what God has taught me through her.


Lesson 1:
Earlier this summer Kailee was part of a creative arts camp at our church. She auditioned for a special singing part in the musical which was Beauty and the Beast. Our church is big, well very big compared with most other churches in the world, so she is one of many kids trying to get a special part, so she was one of about 50 kids who were given the role of "Villager." This means that the week before the camp she has to go to special practices for a couple hours a day some days the week prior to camp. I remember at one of these rehearsals the director said she was trying to block, or set, the kids up on stage so they all could be seen because she understood how each parent wanted to be able to see their kid on stage. Admittedly, this is no easy feat with that many kids and only a certain amount of stage to work with.
The day of the performance was a tough one. She could not find a piece of her costume that she had been given (supposed to be bobby pinned in her hair, but she was not given bobby pins) and was upset about not being able to find it after the dress rehearsal. And I was upset because after sitting through the dress rehearsal, I realized there was no way I was going to be able to see her on stage. She is not a push yourself up to the front kind of person, nor is she a state my case to the costume manager type of person either (although she states more than a few cases to her Mommy). But when I was able to see her singing with the choir, she was singing her little heart out.
We made it to show time and she more than willingly gave up her front row choir spot and moved to the back, and I literally did not see her but maybe but for a fleeting moment on stage. As I sat there in my seat pouting about how much time she had invested "for nothing," God reminded me that we are to do our best for Him not for others. Kailee was singing her heart out, doing her best as I had seen earlier, not so she could be the star of the show, but because she enjoys it and wants to give her best. God used her to show me the lesson of doing my best for Him and His glory, not for praise or attention from anyone else. It's about His glory, not mine, and dare I say it not even my child's.


"And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ." Colossians 3:22-24 (The Message)