Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Two Goals!

Ecstatic!! That's exactly how I felt last evening when my son scored not one, but TWO of his first soccer goals. It was the second to the last game of the season & after 3 years of soccer, he finally scored! As he dashed out of the car, heading for the warm-up session I whispered quickly, "Hey Buddy, let's try for a goal."  "No, Mom. I don't think so," was his quick reply. This season he was scared to try because he was embarrassed if he missed. But tonight was different. Somehow, in the last 15 minutes, he decided to go for it and rushed toward the ball as it neared the center of the goal. With a swift kick the goal was HIS! That's all it took. He was bitten by the taste of victory and he stuck to that ball till the end of the game. In the last few minutes he attempted several goals before landing his 2nd goal of the game. The whistle blew. This game was over. Now he would be known for more than just lightning-speed running across the field ~ he would be known for scoring points for his team. The smile on his face lasted well into the night. His first real lesson on persistence will stay with him forever!

From that first year of soccer when those 7 year olds ran circles around the ball on the field, often swarming like bees toward the wrong goal, every game has been a thrill. Seeing the progress that practice & persistence affords has been just as much the joy of the journey as these two goals tonight. "Lord, help me to look at every step with my son as progress, no matter how difficult at times, this journey may be."

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