Eight Years Old

Over the last couple months, I have really been focusing on the time I have with my eight-year-old. Many of you know Landon, he is the nicest kid you will ever meet. He loves all things baseball and is super excited to have an opportunity to make others happy no matter the setting. Yet, I have seen some new things in him this year. Lately he has been extremely hard on himself. On one hand I am super excited to see him grow and develop into someone with passion and dedication. A perfect example is this past week at baseball camp, he was extremely upset with himself for not catching a few balls in one of the drills. He knows he must work hard to get to where he wants to be… There is no escaping the hard work. Yet on the flip side, I feel for him. I remember being in his shoes and I don’t want him to be so hard on himself. I want him to strive for excellence in all he does, but I also want him to know that the outcome has no bearing on the effort he puts into what he does. The effort or output is in his control, the outcome is not.
 
Have you thought about that lately? We are at a point as a church and a society of new outcomes. Things are changing and will continue to change. God’s love for you is not one of those changing things, yet sometimes we find ourselves being overly hard on each other and ourselves. We should be working as hard as we can to live into the mission God has given us. Our effort is seen by God and others. However, the outcome is not in our hands. Control what you can control, follow the convictions God is leading you to follow… Then trust God. Your obedience is enough. I love Landon and Olivia and I have learned so much by being their dad. Happy Father’s Day to all the other dads out there and remember your Heavenly Father as you celebrate this weekend!

-Pastor Brad Lewis