Jesus Is In The Trying

Every day when I get home from work I try to spend good, quality time with my son Hayden. Since moving to Stephenville, that time usually results in us playing catch or some kind of game involving some type of ball in the back yard. Yesterday was no exception.

I got home and Hayden found my basketball and took it out into the yard. He told me to "'Mon!", which combined with the proper hand waving, is his way of saying, "Come on. Follow me." We went to the back corner of the yard and he begin to shoot "bakkets" or baskets. He loves to shoot hoops on his Little Tykes basketball goal, but yesterday he was convinced that the cylinder shaped transformer box on a power pole behind our back fence was a basket. There was only one problem: It's about 25 feet in the air.

He shot and shot...and shot....and, well you get the picture. The highest he ever got the ball was about a foot above his head. And after every shot that failed to reach the "basket" he would make one, determined, repeated statement: "I twy." (Which means "I'll try again.")

And so he did. He tried and tried...and tried...and, well you get the picture. We spent about 20 minutes trying to make a basket yesterday afternoon. At one point his arms were so tired that he couldn't even get the ball above his head. So he asked me to hold it for a second, and within about 30 seconds he was ready to "twy" some more.

God used my basket shooting adventure with my son yesterday to teach me something. He taught me that Jesus is in the trying. You see, when it comes to following Jesus, we will all stumble. We will all miss the mark. There are days where I struggle and fumble and fail miserably. Some days I don't get anywhere close to the basket.

But being faithful in following Jesus isn't about making the basket every single time. It's about trying again when you miss. And trying again...and again...and, well you get the point. I don't know about you, but I don't have it all together. There are days when I blow it - as a Christ-follower, as a pastor, as a husband, a father, and a friend. But I am determined to try. Because I believe with all my heart that Jesus is in the trying.

So you've messed up? Who hasn't? So you've blown it big time? We all do. Get back up. Dust yourself off. And try again. Jesus is in the trying.