Soccer

       A snicker, an amused smile, another pathetic attempt to pass. To learn the game requires not taking oneself to seriously. Every fumbled opportunity inspires growth. Often it’s in the laughing and the joy that relationships springs up, not in the fantastic bicycle kick to win the match. Standing there doubled over with amusement one sees the embarrassment of the mistake as insipid compared to the new love for one’s friends.

Kick, slip, crash another missed goal. To learn the game means embracing pain. It seems that one always chokes at that critical moment right before a goal, basket, touchdown, a moment of advancing toward victory. Then, laying there on the flat of the back one realizes the missed goal’s importance pales in comparison to the decision that now arises. What next? That’s the real moment of truth in that moment whether one chooses to get up, run faster, try harder, and leave the shame of the fall behind. 

A cross, a leap, a perfect header to the back of the net. To learn the game demands dedication. After the score is tallied it’s back to position with all the passion of the first minute of play. The goal grows dim in the vastness of the challenge. One’s team, not oneself dictates each move. Alone the game cannot continue. 

Life in the Kingdom, like soccer, follows this pattern. Open up your heart to  learn and grow. Embrace the struggles to develop endurance. Give yourself fully to the Kingdom and its’ people and work together.