A Sharper Contrast ...

As my wife and I sat talking with her brother and sister-in-law last night (they stopped in for an overnight and will worship with us today) I started thinking about the contrasts of my last 3 Saturdays. I have already posted about the contrast between the first 2, and the 2 funeral services that I preached. Yesterday was so much different. I coach High School volleyball at our little local school, I am in my third year of this adventure. Yesterday was our first competition of the season. We played in an invitational at a school about 45 minutes away. The last 2 Saturdays were spent remembering the lives of people gone before we wanted them to be gone and grieving with the families. Yesterday was spent in a gym full of high school girls playing a sport that most of them love. Oh, don't get me wrong there was still some grieving going on, but in sharp contrast to the type of grieving from the past 2 weeks. It really helped me put things into perspective.

The energy in the gym was much different than the past 2 weeks. Their was a lot of cheering, their was a lot of smiling, there was a lot of animated talking, there was a lot of fun and there was the sheer joy of teenage activity. There was also sadness, even anger on occasion and some questions.

Here is my random observations of the contrasts and what it meant to me. The past 2 Saturdays helped me put the brief disappointments from yesterday into perspective. The past 2 weeks we were dealing with loss of life and how do we go on. Yesterday we were dealing with some lost games and the realization that we will play again next week. The funerals celebrated peoples lives who were gone quicker than we hoped. The games highlighted the need to celebrate life as it is lived, to enjoy the energy of youth and to recognize the great potential in all of these girls.

I want to teach my girls some lessons about life as we play some volleyball. I want them to care and give their best as they play. I also want them to realize that volleyball, and each match, is not really life or death. I want them to enjoy playing and living. I want them to cherish each other and recognize that they are building great memories. I want to be an example of living life to the fullest in Christ and that it can be done while doing well in the world. I want them to know that they have someone who cares about them beyond just what they can do on the volleyball court.

Contrasts, life seems to be full of them doesn't it? Here's hoping that the contrasts in your life are teaching you something and that you are learning and passing on the lessons.

(By the way, we won 2 and lost 2 matches. We believe we should have done better, but it was the first day of the season and we have a lot more playing to be done and life to be lived.)