Out of My League

I want my boys to be bold. Able to try new things. Willing to discover hidden talents. To choose to live without fear of failure.

I also know that they learn best by observation. Their eyes are always open. Watching Lonny. Watching me. So when a dear friend asked us to play on a volleyball team, I thought long and hard.

“You and I were invited to play in the church volleyball league,” I said.

Lonny smiled. “Do you want to?”

“Hmmm. I’d like the fellowship. But volleyball? I’m not sure.”

Lonny nodded. He’s my encourager. He wouldn’t remind me that, despite my six- foot frame, there’s not an athletic bone in my body. There are no slam dunks at the hoops. No volleyball spike action. In fact, most athletic efforts end in a rendezvous with an ice bag. Even when I’m a spectator. Last year, at Little League, I was hit so hard with a run-away baseball that the knot on my arm throbbed for a week. The solid stray hit the Diet Pepsi right out of my hands.

“It’ll be good,” I said. “To meet people at our new church.”

“Sure,” Lonny said. “And it would be fun.”

I figured that a church league was the safest place to “put myself out there”. So we agreed to play. I’m excited to make new friends. And we’ll surely laugh. But there’s still a hidden insecurity. An uncertainty. Our first game is next week.

I’m hoping that the boys will learn all the things I want them to. That it’s okay and healthy and good to step out of our warm, familiar comfort zones. That there’s joy is cutting loose, trying different stuff, having a new adventure.

But I doubt the learning will be limited to our sons. Lonny and I will glean a few things, too. I’ll learn about the game. Lonny will probably learn about first aid.

And we’ll all learn that always, always, the Lord has promised to be with us. In life’s big things, but in the small stuff, too. Like a volleyball adventure. When skills and confidence are low. We’ll practice His presence, because He loves to be there.

Even when, especially when, we’ve taken new steps, trusted Him, and have moved out of our leagues.

Lord, help us to live without fear. To be ready to try new, good things. To be ready to hold new blessings. And ready to know that you’re always there. Amen.