This week has been CRAZY around town. It is Homecoming. Everyone decked out in their blue and white (so glad we have pretty school colors to wear), rushing around for the big festivities.
Truthfully, homecoming is usually the only game I go to every year. When I have the choice between spending three to four hours planted on my comfy couch or sitting on a bleacher, well comfort wins with me every time. I am afraid that that is how I roll. Of course this year I had a valid reason/ excuse (in my mind anyway), I already had to go on Thursdays to the junior high games and watch baby girl play her flute. Two nights a week on bleachers is just asking way to much of me...
Of course, that has got me to thinking, which can never be good. Whether my son plays football or becomes a band geek like his dad, with his sister being the musical talent that she is, I am pretty much stuck going to every game for the next... I don't even want to think about it... eight years. Ugh!
Now don't get me wrong, once there I find ways to enjoy myself. A visit with a friend, ballgame nachos, experimenting with my camera and every once in a while standing up and cheering on a "good" play I didn't see, or frankly don't understand. I may even text my sister when the game is slow and I think I've "jinxed" the team by even being there, 'cause they are losing. Of course I had to text her back later and say all was good and maybe I am not bad luck after all. (We won! What a relief, 'cause I was worried the whole first half!)
But as I am people watching, as I am hearing all the excitement and cheering going on around me, as I am watching people sitting for HOURS on cold hard bleachers, well a part of my heart weeps. A part of me feels shame. We will give up HOURS and HOURS to celebrate this week in town, for there have been activities going on all week at school. We will take pictures and cheer for the beautiful crowned teenage queen and her court. We will cheer, hoop and holler at the top of our lungs. We will enjoy the moment. And there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that.
Yet, I know in my heart that I didn't celebrate Jesus like I should have this week. I complain when church goes too long, or there is an extra church event listed on my calendar taking up time. I never feel the same freedom to get excited in worship, as I would standing up cheering on a runner in a helmet. Did I even tell anyone this week about the TRUE PRINCE OF PEACE? And how many times have I complained about hard pew CUSHIONED seats? Yep. It left me thinking.
I can't change the world, but I can change myself with God's help. It will for sure take baby steps, but I pray that I can continue to look through God's glasses and change for Him a little at a time. He can have a teaching moment with every step we take if we allow Him to. That is the hard part, being open to what He shows us in our everyday lives, 'cause sometimes the truth hurts.
So, this morning as I am looking back at my Friday night of football mania, two lessons were learned. First, maybe I need to tweak my attitude and find more joy in my Christian walk, treating my journey with the excitement given a football game. I really have no excuse not to. And second...
Well if I am going to spend the next eight years sitting in bleachers, I am going to have to invest in a good comfy seat.
Have a great weekend! Let's cheer on the name of Jesus!
5 comments:
Great post, Mich. Our school's homecoming was this week too and our colors are blue & white. :D
Mich,
I love this post and saw so many great analogies within it. I too need to "tweak" my attitude and hold my tongue.
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
Great post as usual, Sis! Indeed, we have a much more crucial "game" being played before our eyes, and the problem is, that the opposing team is, at times, more practiced at scoring than "our Lord's team"! We've a great "Coach" - He's One Who's played the opposition, knows all their plays, and has won the "tournament" already! Pray that our team will follow His lead and score! And who are we in this analogy? We are His assistant coaches who convey His "play instructions" to the team to help them score. And the cheering folks in the bleachers are those who've played, won, and sit in heaven's bleachers. Heb. 12:1
Jim-Dad
Awesome thoughts that we all need to "chew" on! Thanks for the reminder!
I have found some of the best, most supportive friends on bleachers! I love watching how my sons play, seeing them handling their challenges and pulling through. The athletic field is in so many ways a training field for adult life - negotiating differences, handling disappointments, maybe even not liking your boss. It's a short time of their life where I get to be that fly on the wall, watching waht I've taught, hopefully, be enacted.
Then I think I look at everyplace I go as a mission field - an opportunity to plant through words or actions. Maybe not scripture, but just the love of Jesus Christ. Maybe reaching out to another mom who's having a tough day or encouraging my son's friends.
Redefining those tasks can so elevate their value! What a wonderful post on what so many women struggle with.
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