Sunday, September 14, 2008

Our pastor's message

Sunday morning our pastor asked us to take some time this week and thank someone who has come into our lives and affected us in a positive way.  As I sat listening to his sermon about making something of our failures and realizing people are placed in our lives for a reason, it came to me.  We fail.  I have failed.  My children have failed.  My spouse has failed.  But the lesson is not in the failing, the lesson is in the learning.  I have learned more from my failures in life than I have my successes.   In the book of Job, Job talks about taking the good AND the bad.  And that as people of God, we will be tested, we will fail, and we will fall short, but like Job we will continue to praise God and prove Satan wrong.

Not only have I failed, but I have succeeded, as a mother, as a wife, as a friend, as a daughter; but I haven't succeeded on my own.  I succeed through prayer, through study and through a relationship with my Lord and Savior.  Right now, Annie is learning this lesson very well.  She is playing club soccer with a  new coach and some new teammates.  Last year, her team had an awesome season and everyone seemed to have hit their stride.  This season it's a different story.  The girl's have some excellent individual skills, but they are having a hard time working as a team and they are losing.  Annie herself, is having a great season, probably a personal best, but losing games is overriding the joy she would typically have knowing she was doing so well.  It's not about her, but it's about the team and she wants to win.  However, she is learning a valuable lesson right now and maybe this season is about how she will handle the failures in life.  Who will she turn to?  Will she go to Heavenly Father in prayer and ask for strength for the team?  Will she pray to win?  Or will she pray for the ability to deal with the losses and learn from this experience?  

I don't know...I'll keep you posted.  I can tell you as a parent, it's hard to watch your child's team get scored on time and again, but I'm pretty proud of her when the score is 6-1 and she's still out there running her fastest and beating people to the ball.  She's still in the game and maybe that's what's supposed to come out of the failure.  A lesson to us all that no matter how far down we are, we play like we're winning.  But not only that but realize we are not alone in our losses.  So, this week I am thankful for Annie and her attitude about soccer, but more importantly life in general.  She sees the positive even during the hard times and as grown-ups, we realize what a wonderful character trait that is.  Annie just being Annie has made me grateful to be her mother and as her mom, I will always try and be here for her, but there will be times when I'm not and I take great comfort in knowing that she is not alone.  None of us are because our Father in Heaven is always holding our hand, even in losses and during our failures!

3 comments:

Susan said...

Love the post... Lizzie is shaking the losing off and is having fun this year... like you said, this year is a learning experience! How's Annie's knee? Lizzie is VERY concerned.

Grandma said...

Annie is always thinking and trying to see the best in situations no matter what they are! It doesn't really matter the score of the game [life] it is how you play [live] it. Thanks Cam & Kris for teaching my grandkids who Heavenly Father is and knowing that they can always go to Him and He will always have His arm around them guiding and loving them.
Love, Ro

PS Give hugs and kisses to all from us!

Grandma said...

I couldn't find a place to write a comment about the cute pictures that you posted of the kids. Of course they are darling - they are my grandkids and I love them so much. Thanks Kris for blogging, now I can be a part even tho we are miles apart, but not for long.

Love a Proud Grandma