Celebrate When You See Growth

One of the things I love to do is coaching my kids sports teams.  Over the season (basketball, football, baseball, basketball, football) I’ve gotten to see a ton of growth in the kids.  Our basketball team from last season was a blast.  My only regret is that I get more requests for kids to be on my team than we have roster spots.   We haven’t won a championship in since our first season, but it doesn’t matter.  My current team, the Raiders has 9 players returning from our past teams.  Today I realized how much these kids have grown. 

You see, last year I was asked to coach a bunch of players I’d never met before our first game.  We showed up, met each other, and went out and lost something like 50-0.  It was so bad they called the game early. I rallied the kids, told them to keep their heads up, and promised them we’d get better.  We went on to lose our first 4 games, but I noticed we were losing by less each week (take what you can get ).  By the end of the season we actually won a few games and ended up in the championship game!  But that team was dependant on a few players making all the plays. 

What I noticed today is that all 11 players have grown, and everybody’s playing together as a team.  I was so proud to see how much our players, and team, have grown since I started with them last year.  I laughed that some other parents and coaches were saying I “hand-picked” my team. They have no clue how this team came together, what they’ve been through, and how much it means to our kids to play well.  It’s not about wins & losses. We’ve lost already this season, and we’ll probably lose again.  We don’t sweat it.  What makes me smile is seeing kids who are growing, getting better, and playing together.  After our second game today I gathered the kids and told them how proud I was of them. I wanted them to know I see it.  I noticed they stood taller after that.

God reminded me of something today.  He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but I believe He loves watching His children grow.  He knows we won’t be perfect, yet He love us. Sometimes I’m hard on myself.  Today He reminded me that He cheers my growth. 

I love that Palm Valley is a church where people far from God can come and find life through Christ. I love that we’re a church where “perfect people aren’t allowed”.  I love that everybody is welcome.  I love watching the growth in people’s lives.  We’re a community of believers trying to be more like Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  Tonight I watched a lot of people take a huge step in receiving forgiveness and then choosing to forgive others.  I saw a lot of grwoth, and tonight I’m celebrating it!