GOING ALL IN

 

 

Lessons learned from my grandsons part 2IMG 0429

The water tunnel looked interesting. It was the human version of a car wash and I could tell Zekey was drawn to it. Especially with his Aunt Nana at the end of the tunnel calling him to follow her through it. Even though he is just 13 months old, he was game to try out this contraption at the splash pad. One step, so far so good, two steps in, okay, but the third step was the one that tripped him up. Water from one direction sprayed his face and he paused, turned, then water from the other side of the wash zone sprayed his face. Zeke was in a conundrum. Which way to go? If he went back he would get sprayed, if he went forward, he got sprayed, so he chose to stay frozen in the middle of the spray tunnel and continued to get sprayed from all sides. Finally his aunt Nana rescued him.

“Look La,” Asher called. “I learned how to do a back flip from the side of the pool.” Then he preceded to demonstrate. He didn’t land the first one. His legs didn’t rotate completely. I sucked in my breath because the flip seemed to close to the edge of the pool. Asher decided he would work on it off the smaller ledge in our pool. “Okay, but jump out farther this time,” I warned. He didn’t. His previous failed attempt spooked him and he didn’t fully commit to the flip. He bumped his head on the side of the pool. I saw it and was at the edge immediately. Asher’s tough, but this bout with the ledge made him come up crying and I saw the pump knot forming. The scrape was already starting to bleed. Even as I write this I still cringe. I’m his grandma and I want to protect him from pump knots on the head.

Lucas and Asher have both taken up the sport of lacrosse. I hold my breath when they are the ones cradling the little ball in their stick. This summer it has been box lacrosse and it is played indoors. It’s similar to hockey without the ice or the skates. Asher has been slammed against the plexiglass a time or two and in turn he has planted an opponent into the same glass. Lucas is quite fast and makes some pretty wicked cuts around defenders, but the other night, one got to him. The defender stuck Lucas in the side with his stick. I could tell it hurt as Lucas reached for his side, but the pain didn’t stop Lucas. He completed and scored a goal. Then, he walked to the side out with his dad and cried.

As you can tell my grandsons are going to live life large. They are going to try new things. Sometimes they are going to go all in and sometimes they won’t fully commit. They will get splashed in the face, they will get pump knots on their head, and sometimes they will score no matter the pain or the jabs by the opponent.

And isn’t that how life is? Isn’t that how each of us live? We play poker with life, or even better we play poker with our spiritual life. I definitely have. During certain seasons, I’m all in and fully committed to seek Jesus. It doesn’t matter that the tunnel I’m in is spraying water in my face; I’m going to keep following Jesus. Other seasons, I don’t fully commit. My legs don’t fully rotate while I’m flipping through life, and I end up getting slammed into the ledge. Or, the adversary sneaks up on my blind side and jabs me in the ribs, but with Jesus, I can finish the pass and I can score.

I’ve done it and Peter did it.

“And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:29-31 HCSB.

Life goes much better when you fully commit to following Jesus. The storms and the waves of life won’t sink you.

Let’s go all in!

 

 

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