get in the game

wow...Thursday was some kind of day for me! it brought back a rush of memories and i found myself to be very emotional. Luke, my 12 year old son, played in his first junior high basketball game at North Garner Middle School. His team won by 23 points. He looked so big when the teams came out for warm-ups. I was so proud of him. It took me back to the day when I played in my first junior high basketball games as a 7th grader. I had to fight back the tears...but I lost that battle when the coach near the end of the first quarter sent Luke from the bench to the scorers table...when the whistle blew for subs to come in and he ran onto the court I'm pretty sure everyone in the gym could see my head about to explode with pride. I LOVE MY SON!
after reflecting on these moments, I think God our Father feels that way about us. we have been called to be participants in our spiritual journey not just spectators or bench-warmers...I've watched Luke work hard every day at practice...sweat, sweat, and sweat some more....run, run, and run some more...he works so hard because he wants to be in the game...not watching from the sidelines. how many of us really want to be in the game? or are we just satisfied with being near the game? I bet our Father's heart reaches explosive levels too when He sees His children work disciplined and determined to be significant players in the game...when He sees us work hard to be holy and to have a distinct influence on our world.