Sunday Reflections

I'm reflecting today on the awesomeness of being 11 and 0. After cheering on and supporting my team through many seasons of mediocrity, coaching struggles, and all sorts of ups-and-downs, I really can't begin to explain the joy that I am having with the success of my beloved Crimson Tide this year. It's really a dream season. So unexpected and, as a result, so very sweet. We have one more game to complete a perfect season. Then we'll be in the SEC championship game.

After we got to eight wins (which I sorta figured would be our total for the entire year), it's all just been like icing on the cake. Very, very good icing.

McKenna and I had a blast last night at the game. We bundled up (it was extremely chilly, so we both wore layers upon layers of clothes), stood up most of the game, jumped up and down a lot, and cheered our hearts out. We also got to spend several hours at my Mom and Dad's house, which always translates into a wonderful time. It was a most excellent way to spend an afternoon and an evening!

Today I am also reflecting on the humor and wisdom of children.

I am the children's church leader during November and it is always both a joy and a challenge. A joy because I'm honored to be able to make any sort of positive impact on kids. A challenge because you wonder how much of an impact you're having when you have to tell them--repeatedly--to get their bottoms back in the pews and remind them that God really doesn't want them calling their brother or sister "stupid."

This morning, though, it was their humor that really got to me.

When I asked them what story we had learned about last week in children's church, they looked at me with dumbfounded looks on their faces (the majority of them, apparently, don't have great information retention abilities) and I had to encourage them with reminders of the story. I told them it had to do with two guys trying to find the land that God wanted them to have, and then one of the guys letting the younger guy have the best land they found. Again, they looked at me with no memory at all of the lesson last week. And then one little girl said, "Lewis and Clark?"

I had to tell her that, no, Lewis and Clark were a little bit past Old Testament times and that the answer was Abraham and Lot.

Later on, I asked them what different things they knew about Abraham. A different little girl said this time, "He was a president?" I told her that Abraham Lincoln was a president, but that wasn't quite the Abraham I was thinking of.

Once I had determined that the kids were pretty much there solely for humor, I got several amazing comments from this little boy who is beyond smart and insightful. I think he's a few steps closer to God than most adults are and he is always throwing me for a loop with his spiritual maturity.

Today I was trying to teach about how God always knows His plans for us. We may not quite get it, but God always knows what He's doing. Nicholas just nodded at me and said, "I think sometimes God gives us things that are hard because He wants us closer to Him."

This kid is nine.

And then, when I was using modeling clay to teach how God is the potter and we are the clay, I asked for insights on that. While most of the kids were intent on creating snakes and footballs out of the clay, Nicholas said that, "Clay can't mold itself. It has to have someone mold it. And we're the same way."

I just nodded my head back at him and said, "Kids, that's it. That's the lesson for today. Nicholas said it better than I ever could. We can't mold ourselves into the person God wants us to be. We have to trust His plans and then let Him take over."

Pretty amazing, don't you think?

Okay...that post just went from Alabama football to some pretty cool life lessons. Just rambling, I guess.

While we're on spiritual topics, though, let me share one last thing that I'd meant to post Friday and never did.

On Friday night, we actually sat down and ate dinner together at the table. (Something that doesn't happen as much as I'd like it to, by the way.) Sydney always wants to say the prayer when we eat together, so we let her again.

This was how her prayer went. Every time she prays, I just ooh and aah over what she has to say. This time was no different.

"Dear God.
Thank you for loving us.
Thank you for making us.
Thank you for giving us three pretty kitty cats.
And thank you for loving my sisters.
Amen."

The loving my sisters part really got me.