Listen
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Outfit is old and from Lululemon - Similar Styles linked here:
Leggings: One, Two, Three: Mesh Tee: One, Two, Three - You can also shop the entire look HERE or by just clicking the picture above.
My daughter has a lot to say for her age. I love every single word that comes out of her mouth, even the “no, no, no” that usually follows whatever non-fruit item is placed on her dinner plate. But right now my favorite word that she says is “basketball”. It comes out more like “bask-et-ball”. I probably love it because we are in the middle of basketball season and I am 100% trying to train her brain into loving Duke basketball as much as I do. There is just something about this sport that I am drawn to, even though I am a T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E basketball player. I could watch basketball all day.
It is a good thing I love the game so much. There is a family next door to us who must have received a basketball goal and ball for Christmas, because ever since December 26 I have fallen asleep to the sound of the ball bouncing along the pavement, and continued to hear it throughout the day that follows. Clearly, it was a much desired present. Well done, Santa.
The sounds don’t bother me in the slightest. In a way I find it comforting. It is also interesting to hear the sounds and be able to picture what is happening. The ball bounces a certain speed when it is at the top of the court, slow but constant. As the ball dribbles down the court it gets a little stronger, maybe even a little faster. Pause. And then you either hear a loud, uncomfortable, bang of the ball missing the net. Or you hear nothing. Which could mean two things…airball… or the ever so silent swish of the ball perfectly going through the net. Loud - you missed. Soft - you scored the perfect shot. Isn’t it weird how the sound of a missed shot is louder than the sound of a successful one?
Life is in a way like basketball. When you miss - you know it. The sound of it is loud. The reaction is disappointment. And shaking it off isn’t always easy – you usually scramble to fix the problem rather than settle yourself to find a solution. When you succeed - the sound is simple. Its reassuring. It’s subtle.
In life we are trained to try to hear the BIG sound. We figure that the right way will be the loudest. But, like in basketball, the louder the sound doesn’t always mean the better the situation. When we focus too much on what we are wanting to hear we can miss what God is actually trying to say. His message can be simple and quiet. Not all next steps are spelled out in loud flashy lights. In Luke chapter 8 a woman told herself as long as she could just touch Jesus’s robe she would be healed. The quietest of all acts – a simple brush of her hand against His garment – but it had the loudest affect. She was healed and His power was made known.
As you enter into this new year I encourage you to add one small goal to your list – to listen. To hear Him through all the different areas in your life. And by saying to hear Him I don’t mean to audibly hear Him talking - maybe you hear Him through a book, or a podcast, or your children, or your neighbors, or a song. But just take a second, regain your focus, set your feet and gear up to listen. It’s more beautiful than the sound of the basketball swooshing through the net. Trust me.
