I See You
Basketball. The first couple months of my year will consist of basketball, on weeknights and weekends, because all three of my boys are playing basketball this season. This is the first time my youngest son, Eli, has ever played basketball on a team. As a skinny 9-year-old, he’s hustling up and down the court, trying to keep in step with the nine other boys who are using their strength to go after the ball. His team is full of talented boys, who are bigger than him. His team is undefeated, yet Eli hasn’t scored a point. He’s kind of used to not scoring, as his brothers have never given him a chance when they are playing basketball against him. Competitiveness is a real thing in a house full of boys. Ha! Pray for me or buy me a referee shirt!
As the crowd watches the couple of boys on the team who are really good and who score all the points, my eyes are fixed on Eli…watching him play the game. I notice things that only mom-like-eyes would probably see, as he cheers on his team. The definition of cheer is this; shout for joy, in praise or encouragement. That describes Eli perfectly on the court. When his teammates score, he is clapping his little hands off. He is smiling the whole time, on the court or from the bench. His coaches are always having to tell him where to stand, but on his way to the right place he takes the opportunity to hand a low-five to a teammate. He gets so excited on game day, yet he knows he’s not the best. He knows he has a lot to learn, but he also knows, he is part of the team. He may never wonder if anyone sees him cheering others on. I see him though.
In chapter sixteen of Genesis, we find a woman by the name of Hagar who was running. She didn’t feel like a team player, because she was a mere slave. Yet, there was one fan in the crowd who was watching her, who saw her potential. Hagar was seen by God. She wasn’t the star player on the team she got picked for, yet God still noticed something in her. He saw her when she was on the wrong side of the court, pregnant with Abram’s son. When she was making the plays given to her to follow, being obedient to Sarai’s request. And when she was in her benchwarmer wilderness in chapter 21, God saw her circumstances and cheered her on by saying, “Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the boy (her son Ishmael) crying from the place where he is. Get up, help the boy up, and grasp his hand, for I will make him a great nation.” What a fan we have in God!
No matter the place you find yourself right now, God sees you. He’s cheering you on. He hears you. He’s waiting for you to call out to Him. He wants to grasp your hand, pull you up, and make you great. Now, all of us don’t have the Steph Curry calling of being a great 3-point shooter, but all callings are great if we’re bringing glory to God through them. Sometimes our maturity is seen in not having to be the star of the team. Let’s be grateful that we are chosen to be on a winning team!
Thank you, Eli, for teaching me through your 9-year-old display of maturity. When you do make your first basket, you’ll know I saw it, because I will be cheering for all the gym to hear!