“Wow, can you believe all the blocks McKenna has been having in this game? Where is that coming from? This is incredible!”
I was sitting watching the same basketball game and was in disbelief mixed with crazy adoration. That statement, from a parent of one of McKenna’s teammates, was the same thing I was thinking as I watched her play her first game of that weekend’s tournament.
It was as if she was coming out of her shell and becoming the player we knew she could be.
That might sound crazy, like she wasn’t living up to our expectations or that we were not proud of her for the effort she had put into the games up to this point, but that is SO far from the truth.
We had seen McKenna play basketball against her brother, older boy cousins, and girl cousins. She was this amazingly aggressive kid that would scrap for every ball, would go in for the shot, fake moves to get around her opponent, anticipate the pass to steal, etc. So, we knew that side of her was there. However, that side had not come out yet in a game.
As I texted my husband about what I was witnessing, I was in complete awe. “This is the best game she has ever had. She has steals, rebounds, shots, made baskets, and her blocks – oh, man! They are out of this world amazing.”
Her next game that day was even better. Every time she blocked the ball the parents from our team couldn’t believe it. I was getting high fives and compliments about her playing.
It was exhilarating!
To be honest, I do not even remember if they won or lost. It really didn’t matter, because my daughter was coming out of her shell and playing to her potential. I couldn’t wait to tell Kevin. I had already decided to not attend her final game so that he could see her play.
On our ride home from the games, I asked her how she felt she played. She was beaming as she shared her thoughts. She knew she had played really well. I told her what I enjoyed about watching her play. As parents, we have decided to only share the positives of what we see on the court. We never express our thoughts on what she can improve. We always leave that to her to figure out. It took us a while to land here, but we are glad we did.
SUNDAY
After her game was over Sunday night, Kevin called me. He said that multiple parents came up to him saying that he had just witnessed her best game ever.
I was in shock. Ever? The games from the previous day were not her best? She got better? Whatever was happening was incredible and I was excited to ride this out with her.
AFTER THE GAME
A couple of days later, McKenna and I were talking to one of the moms from the basketball team. She mentioned how amazing her games were and that her blocked shots were incredible.
I asked what changed for her since the last tournament. McKenna cheerfully responded and said, “On Saturday morning, dad told me about a dream he had. The Lord told him that I was going to be aggressive.”
Wait, what?!?
A million things passed through my mind as I was trying to compute what I just heard.
“McKenna, did Daddy tell you anything else?”
“No. Just that the Lord said I would be really aggressive in his dream.”
“Wow, I am so glad Daddy shared that with you. How did that make you feel?”
With a smile on her face, she said, “Like I could do it, because God said I could.”
SO PROUD
Wow, at that moment I was so proud of my husband for being a diligent steward of what the Lord showed him. He had just embodied 1 Corinthians 14:3, “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort” (for more on prophecy, check out this post). The Lord trusted Him with a dream that would prophetically speak into my daughter’s life and he was faithful to share it (for more on how the Lord uses our imaginations/dreams to speak to us, check out this post).
He had called out the gold, the potential, that was in her. Sometimes the gold needs to be mined or called out so the world can see. That is what a prophetic word does.
I strongly believe that it is our role as parents and as believers in Jesus Christ to diligently call out the gold in our kids and in others, to strengthen and edify God’s children. That is all of us!
In scripture it says that each one of us are called to “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1.
CHALLENGE
So what would that look like if all of us understood how to call out the gold in people that we interacted with, people we care about, or even strangers we meet on the streets? How would our world be different?
I challenge each of you to figure out what that means in your life. Maybe this is the first time you have heard that everyone can go after the spiritual gift of prophecy. Maybe you have sought it out a little, but got stuck. Or maybe you are well versed in this gift and are actively pursuing it daily. Wherever you lie in this continuum, our job, if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, is to understand our spiritual gifts and learn how to use them. If all of us can have the gift of prophecy, then go after it.
I have numerous resources for you to read, listen to, and watch. Just take a look at my RESOURCES page. Also, you can connect with my on my CONTACT page or leave a comment below. I would be happy to help you get started or get the conversation going.