Let There Be Light

 "We have to stop walking through the world looking for confirmation we don't belong. We will always find it."

Peanut and I had the opportunity to go watch Xman play basketball last night. I understand NOTHING about basketball but I love to watch him play.

The team we played had on jerseys that proudly said "____ Christian School." It was rough game in a lot of ways and their coach had a really hard time controlling his thoughts about the refs calls.

Now if you've been a sports parent long enough, you know the same thing I know. If you question in an ugly way enough calls by a ref, don't expect any calls to go your way the rest of the game. It's been true in every sport X has ever played. If a coach (and many times that coach has been ours in other seasons) is confrontational toward the officials enough times, there are consequences.

About 3/4 of the way into the game there was an obviously bad call that the opposing team's coach just couldn't let go. Again. He'd been warned, given a technical foul, and now was ejected from the game.

The official early in the game had looked at the coach and said "You have to be a role model for these boys." He'd asked him to raise the bar. To be better.

After the game ended, these boys were rude and disrespectful to the officials.

Because that's the expectation that had been set by their leader.

Not in his words. But in his actions.

They followed their leader.

As I drove home last night I thought of those boys and how much they obviously respected and admired their coach. When he gave directions, they said "Yes, Sir." They were obedient to him. They were kind to each other - picking each other up when they fell, encouraging each other.

I thought about how all of us at times behave like a coach who has forgotten it is just a game. Fair or not.

We are often found having a big tantrum about something temporary.

We forget that we are walking around with a jersey that says "Team Jesus" on it.

Then when we are ready to share our faith with someone, they aren't going to be willing to listen. Because our tantrums in the small make it hard for them to hear the big.

Mama Warriors, remember this morning that we are each coaching our own little team. They are soaking up our actions - and that's where we have set the bar.

Not in what we say.

In our house we have something jokingly referred to as a "Mom Left" - there are times I will make a left turn if I'm the driver. But these are most definitely not times I will let my teen drivers make a left turn.

I justify it with the reasons that I've been driving 30 years now, I know the car, I am familiar with that turn, etc.

But in all honesty - there should be no "Mom Lefts" because my kids have soaked up that there are times when it's okay to make that quick turn in front of another car.

When in reality there are NO times it's okay to do that. If that car hits you, it's YOUR fault.

It's ALWAYS better to be patient and wait for it to be really clear.

As we go through advent, let's try to focus on leading our Team Jesus inside our house, and outside our homes, with the no Mom left turns mentality.

There are no exceptions, no justifications, no matter how unfair or unjust something is - let's rise above and choose the Jesus turn.

Let's be light.