We all decided
to go to the park.
Ross and I
needed the walk, our three grandsons needed the space to release their energy,
and our daughter and her husband were keen on some exercise. We took a
basketball.
We left the house, crossed the
road and wandered down the pathway into the park while the boys raced ahead and
claimed the basketball court.
Then the game
was on!
When it came to
teams, I think it was basically Joel (son-in-law) against the rest of us
(actually, them - I was the cheer-squad).
Which was SO
unfair - for the rest of them. Joel stands well over 10ft tall and his wingspan
must be several meters in both directions. AND he broke all the rules .. well,
that's the way this Nanny saw it from the sideline :)
There was a lot
of running, shouting, puffing and panting, and laughing.
Rachel, reliving memories from her High School Basketball days, was amazing with her defence, securing the
ball many times, and landing some outstanding goals! Even Pa managed to impress his
grandsons (and me) with a few awesome shots.
The boys, Zion,
Rome and Knoxie gave the game 100% and just kept up momentum hounding their dad
for that ball. But he was too fast, too big, too fit. (and maybe a tad
competitive?)
But after a
while, the boys' enthusiasm began to wane. There was less laughter, and tears
of frustration began to emerge. Little Knoxie wandered off to play on the
slide, and few comments like "it's not fair!" and "you
cheated!" began to change the tone of play.
And then the
game changed.
Joel, after
showing his boys how it should be done, now got alongside them to show
them it could be done.
They'd experienced enough failure, now it was time to experience success.
They'd experienced enough failure, now it was time to experience success.
He 'let' them
snatch the ball from him, and lifted them up so they could succeed at throwing
the ball in the goal. It's amazing how the boys responded - suddenly
there was hope!
A new energy
came from somewhere, and the game regained its enthusiasm with shouts of
"Yesss!!" as ball after after ball landed through the hoop.
Finally light began to fade and it was time to go home for dinner.
As I looked
over my not-so-clear photos later I thought about how much our family
basketball game reflected God's heart when it comes to the game of life.
God has
specifically designed a life-purpose for each of us, and deposited gifts within
us to help us achieve that goal. He shows us how to play the game, and
comes alongside to help us reach our potential.
He loves to
watch us 'have a go'. Although He doesn't expect us to get it right every time, He
does expect us to develop our gifts and bear fruit from the investment He has
deposited in us.
He positions us
amongst more experienced people - parents, grandparents, pastors, teachers,
friends - so we can learn from those who have gone before.
And He places
us amongst peers - our family, the Church - so that we can learn the value
of teamwork, and experience the exhilaration of living for a cause greater
than ourselves.
Family times.
Life lessons
Purpose.
Success.
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| "Stories we have heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother's knee. We're not keeping this to ourselves, we're passing it along to the next generation - God's fame and fortune, the marvellous things He has done." (Psalm 78) |
