Player of the Game

In our family, invariably someone has something going on Saturday...Saturday School, birthday party, community service. Usually Shawn ends up taking the majority of the children to all the football games and I take the overflow kids to wherever they need to be. This weekend the overflow children actually had a same time game at a different field. And we were in charge of after game Gatorade's...Being a last minute decision, we only had time to drop James at his game only a few minutes late from the hour early required by his team. By now I am in full-blown football mode--there is a reason why I don't usually do football detail. I head to Wal-mart and with only a quick passing nostalgia, passed the beer and thanked the good Lord that I just had Gatorade's and not snack, red 40 be damned and picked up 2 packs. Ran home, grabbed a cooler, some ice, and Matt. Ran him back to town, picked up some friends and drove them all to his friends house.  Remembering the girls didn't have lunch I pull into the Qt. By now I barely remember what whole food is, and I don't even bat an eyelash when they ask for Juicy Drop Pops...or Poison on a stick as I like to call it. Some special Italian recipes snack mix for mom and a water (i didn't completely lose my mind) and we are back to the game with a half left to go. Struggling under the weight of my Gatorade I am near death when I reach our seats. I stagger into a seat next to 3 shreks, a donkey, some old play dough, and left-over snacks that are attracting bees. Not to worry, I won't be there long...2 bathroom breaks later, I get to see my boy snatch the ball and take it for a run that is stopped just at the end zone and is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes...So that is why Shawn ignores my pleas to let the boys pare down their schedules.

I am forced after we win the game to stand at the end of the field, hand out luke warm Gatorade's while offering to sign autographs along with my explanation of how James comes by his skills from my side of the family. He has been named player of the game, again. Oh Lord, is that why you did not allow me to bear children. Then the glory obviously cannot be mine, even while I try to wrestle it away from you. Is that why there are so many reminders in Your book about how the people of Israel were always so quick to forget Your glory. It is soooo easy to try and claim it while we are basking in it.

On the way home, I tried to forget the missing papers and reminded myself it was me who insisted to Shawn that we need a tutor for James and Tink; they are struggling academically and can not get by on sports--school has to come first. I handed him an extra red dye 40 container and said, "So James, did you know that whoever plays for JoPa gets to be Mommy's favorite?" Big Wink.

Sunday's gospel is from Matthew. Another parable about a vineyard. In this, Jesus tells how the farmer planted the vineyard and hired tenants to care for it. When it was time for the harvest, he sent servants to collect the fruit. The tenants beat and mistreated the servants. The house owner sent more with the same results. Finally he sent his son. The tenants decided to kill the heir so the vineyard would be theirs. Jesus asks what they think the homeowner will do to the tenants. He said "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it." I tell my kids every day that the most important thing to their father and I is that they get into heaven. Grades, honors, the way they treat each other and us is secondary to their relationship with our heavenly father. It is just so hard in the middle of the glory to remember who's field it is...

Heavenly Father, you sent Your Son here to die for us. While you must have been so very proud of all He accomplished on Earth, You did not let Him claim the Glory that was rightly His. Instead, You sat  quietly by while He died a horrible death for our sins. Thank-you, for loving us so much though we do nothing to deserve it. And please help us to sit back while you claim any glory for anything we or our children accomplish. It is only through you that we can do anything at all and it is only for you that we even try...amen.