The Winning Shot

Joseph made the winning shot in his basketball last week. Actually, he tied up the game and then made the winning shot. It was amazing. All of us moms and a couple of grandmas were on our feet yelling ourselves hoarse. It's kind of funny to think it was a 3rd grade basketball game. We were making a pretty big deal of it! We could have rivaled any NBA crowd in those last few minutes. As a mom, it was a blessing to see my boy succeed and to know approval and cheers. It was also sobering to realize he will not always succeed and will not always have a crowd cheering for him. One of my privileges as a mom is to be one of his biggest fans, along with his dad. One of my biggest responsibilites is to teach him that his Savior is always cheering him on, even when the crowd has gone silent or has left completely. I have in my mind the picture of Stephen in Acts as he was dying, looking up to see Jesus on his feet, ready to receive him. My son will never live his life with no one to cheer him on. His Savior will always be there--guiding, encouraging, teaching, delighting in His child. Honestly? I think Jesus delighted to give Joseph the opportunity to score that winning basket. I'm sure He smiled.