From the Bleachers...

If someone asked me to weigh out the pros and cons of my daily commute, I would have to say that the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Yes, the traffic can get overwhelming and frustrating. Some days the amount of time I spend on the road seems a bit ridiculous. And the wear and tear and mileage I put on my car is quite depressing. (But that's why I purchased a Honda!)


But even with all of that, I have the blessing of seeing the amazing sunrises, and the time spent in my car is a perfect opportunity to reflect on life and some of the lessons that go along with it. A few weeks ago I was flooded with thoughts and emotions in regards to a Saturday afternoon in the bleachers at my son's game.


More often than not, I seem to get so caught up in the "moments" that I miss the message that God is more than likely trying to teach me...


Nick had a game against their biggest rival and greatest threat in the league, Sutter. Who I have personal "issues" with and would have liked nothing more than for River Valley to beat the heck out of them. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and RV suffered its first and only loss of the season.


I knew that Nick wouldn't see much playing time that weekend. It is the first year he's played football, and even though he's a big kid, he lacks the experience. But he IS learning! Anyway, our friends Heather and Bob came to the game to support the Junior Falcons and Heather had Bob all up to speed so that he knew to look for the #67 on the field.


As we wheeled him up to the bleachers, I was impressed with the instant willingness some of the fans displayed. Although it would have been a lot easier to carry Bob up the steps and collapse the wheelchair, two men each grabbed an end and carried him up while he was sitting in it. This was quite the sight...and then I felt bad for not being smarter with the strategy. Then we discovered an actual wheelchair lift at the end of the bleachers, so we really felt stupid! :)


The entire game, Bob was shouting out random chants: "Hi Nick!" (while waving), "Go Nick! Run!!!" "Get the ball, Nick. RUN!!!" "You can do it Nick!" The best part was listening to him cheer while Nick was standing on the sidelines. It was the cutest thing in the world. Nick's new #1 fan! Heather even bought Bob a River Valley t-shirt which he proudly displayed!


Picture this... someone sitting in the stands, cheering for you with all their heart. Shouting encouragement even when you're idly standing on the sidelines. Yet Nick couldn't hear Bob's little 3 year old voice over the other fans and cheerleaders.


...Can you imagine our God standing high above us while we go through our daily routines, proudly wearing a t-shirt that signifies we're on the same team, and shouting, "Go! Run!! You can do it!!!" ...even on those days we don't feel like we're seeing much game time, or on the days when we feel so "alone" with no support or encouragement? Crazy concept, isn't it? And maybe even a little hard to grasp? Some days we can't hear Him...and how easy it is to "forget" that He's still there.

Enter in the second lesson that God used little Bob to teach me that weekend.


It was time for him to take some of his pain medicine, and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it, and I DO mean NOTHING! He squirmed around so much that I thought he was going to slide right off the bleachers! Bucking his head, lips squeezed together as tight as they could possibly be. We tried bribery, but you could have offered him a year's pass to Disneyland and he wouldn't have opened his mouth to take that pill! (I quickly remembered the days of cold medicine and fighting those battles with my own kid!) After about ten minutes (I may be exaggerating a little) Heather was able to all but force it in his mouth but he was NOT happy about it, at all.

I can't even begin to count the number of times in which I have been so strong-willed that in certain situations, no matter how "good" for me it was, I would not have anything to do with someone else's advice. Many times it was my way and there was nothing anyone could say or do to me that would change my mind. Why? Is it our will, our pride, fear of becoming hurt more than we already have been?


...Don't you think that we wiggle around and argue with God about "what's best" more often than we should? He lays it all out for us throughout Scripture, in black and white yet we seem to find every excuse imaginable to justify our own reasoning, which is usually irrational and sometimes even unhealthy.


And then there came lesson #3 which almost brings me to tears just thinking about it. Little Bob recently had a cast removed from his wounded leg a few days prior to the game. I had seen the scar the day he had the cast removed but he must have forgotten about that because as soon as his mommy reached down to "adjust" the bandage he began wiggling all over again. He did not want his scar exposed for anyone around to see. He looked at me with his little finger pointed in my face and very adamantly said, "Turn around...look the other way. You can't see this." I tried to remind him that I had already seen it, which was a really stupid remark to say to a three year old with an attitude! :)

I have grown to love this little guy. Everything about him...especially his cute little attitude! But I, too know what it's like to have physical, visual, and emotional scars and blemishes that are blatantly obvious and cause tremendous insecurities.


God knows about them, too. Yet He looks at them and loves us in spite of them. Why? Because He can showcase His redemptive healing and power. He doesn't want them to go away and we shouldn't either because they are there for a reason. To serve as reminders of the wounds that are healed. The remnants of scars will always tell stories and we should always remember the blessings behind them.