We in the South love our sports.  We go by the Proverb of old, from the Bible that says,

“Train up a child to play sports & when he is old, he will not depart from the lessons he has learned from it.”  .

That’s not how that goes?  Well, you could have fooled me! Saying that, it’s basketball season.   Miss Neenee is playing basketball for the first time.  She loves it.  Her best friend, in the whole wide world, plays.  That just makes it that much sweeter!

We see a lot of the same parents that we play softball with.  Over the course of years you get acquainted with the other parents.  Maybe not know them well, or outside of whatever sports function you are attending.  But, know who their kids are, where they work, go to church, & who they are kin to.  Anyway, we get excited.  We clap loud.  We coach from the stands.  We yell at our kids.  We yell at other people’s kids.  It’s all good.

Let me tell you about an incident that happened to me recently.

The other night our 3^rd & 4^th grade girl team was lining up for a free throw with the opposing team.  Miss Neenee had been running & working hard & doing her little 4^th grade best at this game.  This is the age where the referee still has to tell the girls to dribble the ball.  It’s not a high expectation type thing.  Everything is pretty laid back as far as the rules.  Miss Neenee was lining up at the goal line, when she turns around & looks at me.  She starts fiddlin’ with her necklace.  She runs over to the stands & I take it off of her right quick.  One of the mamas yells,

“This is a ballgame not a beauty review!”

There was another girl that had run up to the stands to give her mama something, too.  So, I didn’t really think much about it.  Once the game was over, this same mama walks over to me & said she hoped I wasn’t mad at her.  She said she was sorry, she had just yelled out before she thought.  I smiled & told her I wasn’t worried about it.  She said her husband told her she might not have said that.  So, she wanted to make sure I wasn’t upset.  I just laughed & told her I had yelled at her daughter, on the court, enough that night, that it was quite alright.  We smiled & parted ways.

You know what I thought after that encounter?  That I really liked that mama.  Her character was just what the Lord said it should have been.  She said something she felt wasn’t right.  Then, she faced it & took care of the problem right then.  I wish I were more like that.  Most of time, if I will say or do something, that’s not right, I lull over it.  That’s right.  I’m a luller.  I drag my feet.   I don’t take action to right the wrong as quickly as I should.  Time goes by & things get better or they don’t.  Why do I wait?  I don’t know.  Maybe a little pride.  Maybe a little not wanting to be wrong.   So, I just let things sit.  We are not perfect.  We all say & do things not pleasing to God.

This is what Jesus had to say about righting wrongs.

Matthew 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

v. 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift

I want to be more like this mama that knows the right thing to do & does it.  How much better would the world be without bitter feelings & resentment over hateful things others say?  When we say something hurtful, if we went to the persons involved immediately & apologized & made things better it would be more beneficial for everybody.  However, not everyone cares or is big enough to say they are sorry.  When that happens we are still responsible for forgiving that person.  Whether they ask for it or not.  If not, hatred & bitterness can set up in our hearts, just like it has theirs.  Don’t let those things rule your heart.  You have got to have control over your thoughts, actions, and what comes out of your mouth.  However, we are just people.  So, when something comes over you & you act on it, be sure you do like this mama & take care of it quickly.  With a standard of living like that, I bet she sleeps good at night!  My oldest daughter was standing there when this mama came over to talk to me.  When we got home she said,

“You know that was a very adult thing for her to do that.”

Yes, it was.  What a great example, not only for my kids to see, but for me, too!  Looks like the sports our kids grow up playing are not just character builders for the kids, but for the parents, too!  People never cease to amaze me.  You never really know what they are thinking.  They sometimes say things that you don’t quite expect.  When that happens you really get to know what kind of character those folks have.

I am so glad you stopped by to visit with me today.  I have enjoyed having you here.  It is really cold outside here, in Northeast Mississippi.  I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week.  As for me, I have to be going for now, because I should be washing clothes.