I Love #82

If I had a shirt that said just that, I'd wear it proudly.

Tonight my son plays in his first 7th grade football game. I am seriously so excited about this football season, particularly since this is his first "school ball" game and he gets to play at the high school. Mostly I'm excited because I am so in love with this kid. (And his brothers)

He's #82. And when I watch the team practice, I stare at him. Amazed. In awe that a person so wonderful, so treasured, belongs to me. He's a little extenstion of my heart running around in those big bulky pads. And to say anything bad about him would be to invite a fisticuffs with his momma. (I just wanted to use that word. I'm not really that tough.)

Then another thought occurs to me.

If God had a football team and I was on it, I bet he'd be saying the same thing about me. I can see him...wearing a button with my picture, waving his big foam finger when I score (and even especially when I miss the pass!), and maybe a big posterboard that declares his love and faithfulness to me no matter what! My biggest fan.

I call to Him, "Keep me as the apple of your eye." Psalm 17:18
And He answers, "...I have loved you with an everlasting love..." Jeremiah 31:3

I'll remember this tonight when Kid One takes the field and the Invisible Me cheers wildly for him as if he is the master of the turf, despite all the other moms around who feel the same way. I'll remember I have a Father who is cheering me on, too. Because I belong to Him.

We may not have a huge fan club on this earth, but one thing is for sure, our God is for us!

What's That On Your Shoulder?

Kid Two had a friend spend the night tonight. I drove them to get a movie. A PG movie is nearly all that is allowed for age 10 in our house. Kid Two's friend made it perfectly clear he was allowed to watch almost anything. I made it perfectly clear our boundaries are sometimes a little different and it may seem weird but it works for us.

Surprisingly (this time) Kid Two didn't begin his exhausting argument about how "everyone else...fill in the blank..." Maybe he is beginning to see the effects of "garbage in, garbage out" on some of his friends. Maybe the truth of the Word is penetrating his heart deeper and deeper.

What he did say made the Invisible Me jump in the passenger seat to hug and squeeze his precious little face.

"[Friend], my mom's not out to spoil my fun. She's just there to flick the devil off my shoulder sometimes." Then he gave me a genuine "thanks for looking out for me" wink.

I've said it before... What's in the well will come up in the bucket.

Sincerely,
Kim Heinecke, a.k.a. Devil Flicker
(It's not really the title I'd pick for myself but a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do...)