Kennedy and Abbie chasing the team
Abbie, Kickin' It
Nearing the Goal...
Sometimes God just blesses our socks off and I have to tell you about how He did it this time for our family. Over the summer I decided that I should sign Abbie up for soccer. Now, mind you, when I decided to do this it was the end of July. Having NEVER done anything with this sport, I had no idea that they would have already signed up for fall soccer. So I call Sherwood to find that they had filled up and were not even thinking about having a waiting list. So I called Lakewood and talked to the nicest man, Ken Sullivan, who put us on a waiting list for another soccer team if they had enough players and coaches. I called on a Monday in August and on Thursday we had a team! Blessing right? Yep, huge blessing and we were so excited. We went right out and found pink cleets (is that with a "K" or a "C", I have no idea...seriously I know nothing about soccer...) and pink shin guards. We know all of one person (Kennedy Grace, one of Abbie's best friends) who plays with the Lakewood team and she signed up months in advance for Fall soccer. I did NOT want to push the limits of decency and ask for Abbie to be put on her little friends team so we just were excited about meeting new friends and getting to know something about a new sport. So, Abbie, Brie and I show up for our 1st soccer practice and we have no clue what we are supposed to do or where we are supposed to go. We wander around aimlessly and as we were wandering, we see the Burkett's, the one family we know who plays soccer up there. I decide to humble myself and check my "I can figure this out" prideful self and ask them if they would recognize Coach Hopkins so they might point us in the right direction. Well we walk over and they look shocked to see us and Kennedy and Abbie hug each other like they hadn't just seen each other at church two days before. I ask if they know the coach and they look at me like I might be crazy and say, "yes, that's Kennedy's coach!" At this moment, the coach comes over and says "this must be Abbie Grace." I nearly fell over! I mean, never in my wildest dreams did I think that Abbie would end up on a team with her friend. In fact it was so far from what I considered a possibility that I didn't even pray about it. It just felt too selfish to pray for. I never want to approach God like He is some kind of magical genie who will grant whatever wish I ask of Him. This just felt so ridiculous to ask for so I prayed instead for Abbie to easily make friends with the kids that she was placed on a team with. Never did it enter my mind that God would take that wildest dream and make it come true! That's what is just overwhelming to me and it is so consistent with the character of God. He is so big and so intimate. He knows the desires of our hearts, probably even better than we do, and His desire is to bless us. I just have to praise Him for how He knew my heart and my desire to have Abbie know someone on her team. I know this sounds so trivial but that is what God has taught me so much about this year. He is a God who is so big; He created the universe and causes all of us to be and yet, He is so small and intimate that He blesses us in ways that are intensely personal and specific to our needs. Do you know Him like that? If you don't and you want to, ask me about it. I would love to share with you just how much you are loved, because you ARE! He loves you just like He loves me and loves my daughter. Enough to carry me through this summer as a single parent and experience blessing after blessing and enough to put Abbie in the one team that has a forever friend in it. What an awesome God!
