My son spent the last two days trying out for a select soccer team. We won't know for several days if he made the team, but the whole process was a bit unsettling for me. I sat there both days (in the shade, I should note, while the poor lad was out in the sun and 85 degree heat) afraid. Of what? That he might fail. He is a decent soccer player, though I am not planning on him earning a living at the sport (which is too bad, because as a professional athlete he could provide me with a standard of living that I would not have a problem getting used to.) As he was running through his drills I wondered why I was so nervous, so protective, so afraid. So what if he didn't make the team? In the grand scheme of things would it really matter? Did the fate of the universe hing on his playing U9 select soccer?
Then I thought, does God feel the same way about me? Afraid that I might fail? I tried to image God sitting on the sidelines of my life anxious that I would not be good enough. Perhaps that is what God does, but I doubt it. See, God is all about redemption. There is nothing I can do that God cannot redeem. Yes, there are consequences for my actions but even if I fail at something God is able to take that situation and make new possibilities and opportunities. So what is there for God to be nervous about? And if God is not afraid for me, why do I need to be afraid for my son? Who knew you could learn so much about parenting from soccer tryouts!