Had an interesting incident at last Saturday's soccer game and it got me thinking, which can be dangerous. :-) Here's the story: It's an Upward league, so those of you familiar know that at halftime, while the team gets some water and breaks in another room, the audience listens to either a testimony or watches a video--something that points to Christ. Well, this being the last game, the Upward coordinator asked the teams to stay in the gym and to wait to go to the bathroom and get water until the end of his presentation. He wanted to present the coaches with something and wanted the players present. Apparently Julia's team and coach missed that announcement, because 3 of the players, including Julia, went to get water. When she got close to us, Jimmy motioned for her to go back to her coach and sit down. She went, but not without talking back and pouting. When she sat by her coach, he asked her what was wrong. She broke out the tears then, and told him her daddy wouldn't let her get water. He asked why, and she shrugged her shoulders. So....the coach waited about a minute, and then told her to go get water anyway. She did.
It was all I could do to wait until the game was over to find out if she had lost her mind! We went in separate cars to the game because I had some errands to run, so Julia and I were alone in the car after the game, and our conversation went like this.
Me: So, I saw you were pretty upset when dad made you go sit down without water. Why do you think he wouldn't let you get a drink?
J: I have no idea Mom! (tears start back)
Me: Well, let's think about what you DO know about your daddy. Do you think he wants you to dehydrate?
J: no ma'am
Me: Do you think he was being hateful and wanted to watch you suffer even though he saw how hard you were playing and knew you were thirsty?
J: no ma'am
Me: Do you trust your daddy?
J: yes ma'am
Me: Then is it possible that maybe he had a reason for telling you to sit down that you just didn't understand at the time, but it was completely in your best interest?
J: I guess so.
So I explained that the coordinator had asked them to sit down and wait until the end of the presentation and pointed out that her daddy, who heard what he said and knew she would want to be there for it, gave her an instruction that she didn't understand. Because she didn't understand it and because it didn't fit in with "her" plan, she took the opportunity at the first chance she got to disobey. I can't imagine what was going on in that coach's mind to instruct my little girl to go against something her daddy told her not to do, regardless of how "unfair" it might have seemed.
She apologized, explaining that she hadn't heard the coordinator give those instructions and the rest of the conversation was one-sided. :-)
"Julia, learning to obey your mom and dad is your training ground for when you are out on your own. While you are learning to obey us, even when you don't get it, you are learning to obey God. There will be times in your life when you know God is instructing you to do (or not do) something, and you won't agree. It won't be in your plan. It won't be as much fun God's way. It will leave you longing for what you want. And the worst part will be when people you respect, people you really look up to, give you advice that go against the Word of God and/or what you hear Him saying to you. That's what your coach did today. You know what the Bible says in Ephesians 6:1--Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. It doesn't mention a coach, a sibling, a good friend, a teacher--it specifically says parents. God has entrusted us to be the ones you are primarily obedient to, so if a coach or anyone else tells you to go against what we say, that is wrong. And when you chose to go get water today, you chose sin over obedience. Where faith and trust come in is realizing that God has the Big Picture that you don't have. He knows what is in your best interest in the long run and just as you can trust your earthly daddy to lead you even when it doesn't make sense, you will need to learn to let your Heavenly Father lead you as well."
Anyway.... maybe you're thinking I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but the truth is, sin is sin. We aren't told to measure our sin up against the world's and be relieved that we aren't THAT bad, we are told to hold our sin up to God's holiness--then it is all revealed as filthy rags. I came away from that game surprised, yet again, at the craftiness of the enemy we fight. He looks for our most vulnerable place, our longing, and then puts things (or people) into our path that make it seem okay. Or at least, not so bad. And when our focus is on ourselves and our longings and not Christ and His holiness, it is oh so easy to choose sin.
The good news, no, the GREAT news, is that we have a God that is not only in hot pursuit of us, but One that is longing to forgive and wipe the slate clean and leave the enemy chomping at the bit while we experience His grace. Over and over. Unmerited for sure. Because when we accept Christ and His grace, it's not like He uses an entire bottle of Clorox to get our filthy rags as clean as possible. No way. Those rags are replaced with snow white garments. Ahhhh, grace is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes and swells my heart each time I am confronted with what it really means and what it really cost.
So, a frustrating experience, but a teachable moment came from it. Julia received a consequence, apologized very sincerely to her daddy, and like her Heavenly Father, he was a beautiful demonstration of forgiveness. Sadly, I think the lessons we learn the best are the ones we learn the hard way. I guess it's human nature, but it usually takes coming face to face with our sin against His holiness that takes our breath away and leads us to real change---repentance.
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