My kids play soccer. We could have opted for an inside sport, but then there's no chance of watching your kids play in the rain while you freeze on the sidelines. Who wants that?
Is that mud in our van ever going to come out? Probably not, but at least we watched 3 scoreless games. Hooray soccer!
Have you ever seen a litter of kittens all go after the same ball of yarn? If so, you know what watching 7 and 8-year old girls looks like. As they get older, it looks pretty much the same, just with less cute.
One of the things we start talking to all the players about, early and often, is to keep their heads up. A skill they must learn is how to kick the ball without looking at the ball. They can get so focused on kicking the ball in front of them that they become oblivious to everything else around them. Look up!
But once they learn how to maintain control of the ball while keeping their heads up, the game changes. They can see where the opposition is coming from. They can see where their help will come from. They can see a better view of what is happening all around them.
It changes the game.
I find myself taking this advice and using it in my daily life. Let's be honest about this. Life can often be uncomfortable. It can leave you messy and with some scarring. Even as we age, life will treat us pretty much the same way life always has.
There is a truth to life that we teach our children early and often. Look up. When we take our gaze off of what we are doing, the game changes. We can see better where the opposition is coming from. We can look around for where our help is coming from. We get a better view of what is happening all around us.
Indeed, the game changes.
When we ask where our help will come from, we can echo the Psalmist, "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." ~Psalm 121:2
Is that mud in our van ever going to come out? Probably not, but at least we watched 3 scoreless games. Hooray soccer!
Have you ever seen a litter of kittens all go after the same ball of yarn? If so, you know what watching 7 and 8-year old girls looks like. As they get older, it looks pretty much the same, just with less cute.
One of the things we start talking to all the players about, early and often, is to keep their heads up. A skill they must learn is how to kick the ball without looking at the ball. They can get so focused on kicking the ball in front of them that they become oblivious to everything else around them. Look up!
But once they learn how to maintain control of the ball while keeping their heads up, the game changes. They can see where the opposition is coming from. They can see where their help will come from. They can see a better view of what is happening all around them.
It changes the game.
I find myself taking this advice and using it in my daily life. Let's be honest about this. Life can often be uncomfortable. It can leave you messy and with some scarring. Even as we age, life will treat us pretty much the same way life always has.
There is a truth to life that we teach our children early and often. Look up. When we take our gaze off of what we are doing, the game changes. We can see better where the opposition is coming from. We can look around for where our help is coming from. We get a better view of what is happening all around us.
Indeed, the game changes.
When we ask where our help will come from, we can echo the Psalmist, "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." ~Psalm 121:2
Comments