Soccer, Side-swipes & Jesus

Well today was Cooper's very first soccer game. Quite a monumental occasion, especially for Daddy who has played most of his life. I think Jerrod shed a tear or two when we bought Cooper his first pair of cleats and had to twitter the moment Cooper first put on his entire ensemble, shin guards and all. It's so special to have Jerrod coaching him and spending time showing him how the game of soccer works. The only bummer is that Jerrod had ACL surgery last Friday, so he is a little out of commission when it comes to running around and showing the kids the drills. He's doing a phenomenal job, though. Jerrod is so gifted in so many different ways, but he is so attractive and when he speaks, people listen, at least the kids do most of the time;)

Today was going to be a great day. I had the camera in hand, the camcorder too. Total soccer mom! Dork, I know. But what can I say, I was so proud to see both of my boys out there. Right as the game was starting, Cooper just lunged forward and started running with the ball toward the goal. He started too early, so the whistle blew and they brought the ball back. But all I could think to myself was, "This is gonna be great....Cooper's gonna go get em'."

As the game started, though, I started to realize that no one on our team had a clue what they were doing. The parents were all trying to herd the kids down the little field and help them figure out what to do. Needless to say, we only had one small practice that was mostly filled with introductions and dribbling.

Many of the kids just stood there. Some ran in circles, some cried (including mine), some chased each other like it was a time to play tag. Meanwhile, the other team dominated. (A little disclaimer is that our team is mostly made up of 3-year-olds and none of them have ever played before. The other team, on the other hand, had mostly 4-year-olds.) There was one little girl on the other team that ran over everyone......she killed it! She probably scored 15 goals. It was quite annoying since she seemed to be the only kid having fun, but whatever.

Yep, that's Coop sitting in the middle of the field just watching the other team score;)

Our little pep talk about how when the other team takes your ball away, you just gotta go get it back.....I wish I had it on video, but later he totally took down the little girl with the braids that was so good.

As I stood back and watched, it was quite interesting. I saw Jerrod and the other dads trying to encourage the kids along and show them where to go and what to do. There was so much chaos that it was hard for them to really understand what was being asked of them. On top of that, the other team kept side-swiping the ball and driving right through them to their goal. These poor kiddos didn't know what hit them.

I thought about how true this is of the Lord. How He is out on the field with us, directing us, encouraging us, guiding us in the way we should go. He's right in the mix of it all, but when we are not in tune to His voice and do not have an accurate understanding of who He is, we are all out of sorts. Just as the more Cooper's team practices and learns the game, they will play better, we too learn how to live life in a way that honors the Lord by spending time with Him in His Word and through prayer. The more time the kids spend with Jerrod through practice and games, the more they will become in tune to his voice and what it is he is trying to have them do. Jerrod sees the big picture of the game and what the ultimate goal is in the end. He knows that when he asks certain things of the kids or tells them what to do, he is helping them reach toward the goal in the end. He not only has their best interest at heart, but is making them better and stronger in the process.

When we spend time with the Lord, we become in tune to the sound of His voice in our lives and how even when things around us are chaotic and don't make sense, we can hear His voice and see with clarity what it is He is teaching us. He sees ever so clearly that even though the things He allows and asks us to do are often difficult or don't make sense, He has our very best interest at heart because He loves us. The circumstances and "drills" are not to our detriment, but to make us stronger and to ultimately display His glory. Our Heavenly Father sees the big picture too. He sees that in the end is Eternity with Him....what an even greater goal!

The questions is, am I listening? Or am I picking my nose on the field, day dreaming and wondering why someone just ran over me, or circumstances knocked me off my feet? Is my guide for life the very Word of God? The true, inspired, infallible, God-breathed, inerrant, Word. Am I listening for His voice? It often comes in a quiet whisper, so am I in tune? I don't ever want to miss what the Lord is teaching me. I don't ever want to be caught off guard or side-swiped, so I must make sure I have my armor on. I must be girded with Truth.