Like a Good Neighbor!

2010 has begun with a bang - well, a dent. It was the phone call that I didn't want but had been warned that it would come some day. After softball practice Hailey was backing her car out, and you know - thud! Funny it was Lori that called me and not Hailey. (We will get to that later.) I drove to the school and witnessed the destruction and exchanged phone numbers. Remember the days when cars were made out of steel? These are not those days.

All in all it was a very minor ordeal. No one was hurt and the cars can easily be fixed. Hailey has her first battle scar on her vehicle and a healthy dose of reality. As for me I have to evaluate if I did the right thing. I put on the Superman cape and flew to the rescue. I called off the police, the S.W.A.T. Team, and handled the insurance. "I took care of it." However, maybe my role was to help Hailey deal with her crisis. I also had to deal with the fact that my daughter called her mother. She knew that I would be the one who showed up. Was she afraid of my reaction? Was she afraid that any type of failure was not allowed? Or, maybe, she just wanted mom.

I tell you this story to confess that being a parent is hard. Our job is not to raise children but to raise adults. I have made this same mistake at University. It is easier to fix a problem or attempt a ministry myself than to equip someone else to handle it. Truthfully the Superman outfit feels good. However this has severely limited our potential and has not been healthy for you. I also want to announce that we need an atmosphere where failure is OK. I remember one of my coaches that pulled me out of the game every time I made a mistake. You will not be at your best when you are more afraid of making a mistake than making the play. Funny how a sudden stop will get us going in a better direction!

January 20, 2010