the last couple of weeks

 The rowdies...never in my life have I seen such school spirit.

 Teammates to the bitter end.

 The entire 8th grade BB team.  They suffered a sad loss.  Only one loss this entire season.  They are an incredible group of boys.  I have so much to learn from them.

 Preschool basketball...sort of like a circus.

 But they can run.  Everyone of them.

 Brotherly advice...knock them down and take the ball.  Nice.

 Rooting for the team.

 Teammates since the age of 3.

 Fully engaged.

Basketball, like all sports, is so much like life.  Most days we find ourselves fully engaged in the game, dribbling up and down the court, popping three pointers and draining free throws.  And then other times, we find ourselves sitting on the bench, not playing and rarely of our own choosing.

And on that bench, we have two choices.  We can either sulk because we are not one of the five on the court, or we can root for our team in hopes to be put in at some point.  My boys play sometimes and they sit sometimes.  And as I watch their faces while they are sitting, I wonder what's going on in their heads in that moment.  From where I sit, I cannot tell whether they are engaged or sulking.

And then I wonder, am I fully engaged in my life or am I sulking because I am always wanting more out of it? Am I content on the bench where God has placed me or am I pouting because I want to be on the court?  And what if I never get on the court?  Can I be okay where I am sitting?

I think if I were to answer those questions several years ago the results may have been different than they are today.  And honestly, some days I do want more.  Some days I want a "real" job.  Not the stay at home kind of job.  Some days I want someone else to do the vacuuming and dusting while I go sit in a cool high rise office making really high powered decisions.

However, in reality, I am content right where I am.  As hard as it is, I don't want one thing to change.  I love this life.  I love sitting on the bench right where God has planted me.  And even as I try to type out my thoughts, I hear my four year old crying and I am losing my train of thought, but I am content.  Content to root on my teammates in hopes for a victory.  And I'll cheer when we win, and I might cry when we lose, but in the end, we are all a part of God's amazing story.

And I am so honored He chose me to play just a small part.