Sunday, October 19, 2008

Take A Knee


My daughter decided this year after 7 years of dance and horseback riding to try soccer.

She had never played before, and she had never even really been to a true soccer game. So, we went to try out for a position on the local team. They had enough girls to have two teams. She is on the B team with other girls that had never played either. The coach is awesome, and supports every player on the team. She usually plays a defense position and is not afraid to get in there and fight for the ball.

She has played 8 games so far this season. This past Thursday night, the coach asked her to play goalie, because 1. The regular goalie could not be there and 2. No other member of the team wanted to play that position. So, my daughter said yes. One reason I think she did it was her reason for playing soccer. When I asked why she wanted to play soccer she said, “Mom, I just want to be part of a team.” She was a part of the team this past week. The score ended up 8 for the other team and 0 for us. She had no idea how to play goalie and the other girls still are learning their positions too. It was painful to watch and as the coach said, she took one for the team tonight.

One part of the game has stayed on my mind. When the other team was bringing the ball down the field, one of our girls was injured and went down hard. Some of the girls took a knee as soon as the player went down, but the referee was ahead of the girl being down and didn’t see that she had fallen. The referee didn’t blow the whistle and so other team just kept coming toward the goalie, my daughter. My daughter learned an important lesson that day, to play until the whistle blows, but in her mind someone was down and in trouble, and she thought they all should take a knee.

I believe our country is in trouble, the economy, the war, health insurance, jobs, housing, and the election. It might be time for us to learn a lesson from my daughter, and take a knee.

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

3 comments:

Sheryl said...

Wow - you are gifted writer, my friend! And your daughter sounds like a girl of great character. We could all learn something from her. We do need to take a knee - something I say often but fail to do. Well done!!

Love,
Sheryl

Kim in NC said...

Debbie!

So glad you gave into peer pressure and started your blog!!

Good for Elizabeth for taking one for the team! Not many kids will do that voluntarily. Tell her I said to hang in there, keep playing hard, and have fun!

Love ya'!
Kim

Anonymous said...

Very good!