We arrived on the fields at World's Fair Park and started throwing the ball around. We didn't really have a big turn out, and only three of us were there at first. Well after about 25 seconds two little guys come sprinting over to us.
"Can we play? Can we play?"
The smiles on there little faces were unbelievable. They just so badly wanted to be included in our game. We started tossing the ball around the field with them. A minute or two later their sister and cousin come running over as well.
Of course at this point, it was time to play a game. We played boys against girls. It was hilarious, out of control, messy, and so fun! At one point the little five year old boy looks at me and goes "what ya got gramma?!?" He was hilarious.
I attempted to make plays for two "big kids" and two six-year-old girls. Our conversations in the huddle sounded a lot like this:
"Ok, Lexi, you run straight. Kaykay, you start on this side, I'm going to turn around and hand you the ball."
"What do I do?"
"Lexi, you just run straight to the end-zone."
"Where's that?"
"Just run straight, right to the tree. But don't go in the road."
"Straight to the bench?"
"Yes."
"Wait, what do I do?"
"Kaykay, you run behind me and I'm going to give you the ball."
"Okay, then what?"
"Then just run behind me."
"Okay, where are we going?"
"We're going to score!"
One play I told them to all run to the end-zone and I was going to throw it to one of them (the boys were beating us and I was going to throw it to my over 18 counterpart). We didn't complete the pass, so we were then on defense. I looked at the girls and told them to do the same thing they did last time. I meant the last time we were on defense, in which the girls had just guarded each one of the little boys. After the play I turned around and both the girls were in the end-zone. I realized they did exactly the same thing we had done last time. I could not help but laugh. They did exactly what I said!
One time on a kickoff I caught the ball and handed it to Lexi. I said, "just run straight that way. Follow me, I'll block for you." That girl was pretty fast for a six-year-old running from 19 year old boy. She ran about 10 yards, and then realized Dan was chasing her. She curved around and started running back toward our side. It was absolutely hilarious.
This little game of football was actually really enlightening.
As much as I tried to break things down and explain them to those little girls, it always came down to me very simply saying, "I'm going to hand you the ball and you are going to run as fast as you can in that direction."
You can't possibly be mad when things go wrong in a situation like that. Even those times when they ran the wrong way, or thought we were on offense when we were on defense, I turned around, gave them a high five and told them they were doing an incredible job. The next time I would try harder to explain the play, or give them better direction so that they could understand what they were supposed to do.
And as much as they thought they had an understanding of the game of football, you can't even compare it to the understanding of that of a college student who plays and watches football in every moment of their spare time.
Kind of like the Lord.
As much as I like to think I have an understanding of the situations in my life, I know nothing. And I am most likely running toward my own end-zone. But he is not going to pick me up and yell at me for running the wrong way. He'll run to me, give me a high five, a little edification, and then clarify what I am supposed to be doing through His word.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the Lord.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9
His thoughts are not my thoughts. His ways are higher. He has a greater understanding and a knowledge and wisdom that I will never comprehend. That is something in which I can rest assured.
And beyond that I can rest in the fact that He will be explaining how to do life better than I can explain football to a couple first graders.
