Teaching our kids a lesson

Now before you get the wrong idea...I'm not saying this with a negative connotation. I truly mean this in all seriousness.



...This conversation sort of came about today while I was driving Josh to get the MRI on his knee. I didn't send him to school because I had a feeling Dr. W's office would call and have an emergency opening and we'd have to react fast. I was right. They called at 10:10 to get him in for a 10:30 MRI appointment. After we left the hospital, we headed over to Dr. W's office for an x-ray. We go back at 4:30 to hear the results and speak with the Doctor.



In the meantime, as we were driving home, the dialogue began. Josh informed me that he felt sick to his stomach. It's the fear of the UNKNOWN that was unsettling to him. He is an incredibly gifted athlete and has always come through with the BIG PLAYS during very tight games. He has the mind of a champion and has wrapped his identity around his athleticism. Of course, in the big scheme of things...one might dispute just how much does this matter?...but in HIS WORLD, it matters a whole lot. His college choices are riding on which schools recruit him. His hopes and dreams are wrapped up in playing collegiate football like his big brother. His teammates are counting on him as their fearless leader. His dad is counting on his contribution on the high school hockey team. What if? What if? WHAT IF?



So I calmly spoke words of wisdom to my son. I told him about having faith in God and trusting in God's provisions for our lives. I encouraged him to give the situation over to the Lord who already knows the plans He has for our lives.



I spoke of situations in my life that have been those "testing our faith" kinds of moments. Like going an entire 9 months wondering if our child would be born healthy despite a blood test that indicated otherwise. Like going through a heart attack and a stroke and wondering why God allowed this to happen to me. Like recently having an abnormal mammogram and facing the reality that it might be the "C-word". In every situation, I gave it over to God and He never let me down.



Yes, there have been countless times in my life where I had to put my FAITH to the test...where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Instead of just giving God lip-service by saying "WE BELIEVE"... we have to actually give it all to God in total surrender and BELIEVE God has it all under control... and He never gives us more than we can handle.



It was a very gut-level real conversation which invoked teary eyes in both of us. I told Josh that prayer changes things and we have to believe that if it's God's will, He will spare Josh of a serious career-ending injury...so for now, we pray and wait to hear the results of the MRI. By the same token, if it ends up being more serious, then Josh will learn how to live with whatever comes his way through his faith in God. When all was said and done, I put his mind at ease, knowing that he can face whatever adversities that come his way with God on his side. It was one of those little life-lessons that we could never choreograph- you just have to seize every opportunity to teach them about the Father's love when the time arises.

Well 4:30 came and it was time to hear the prognosis. The doctor suggested draining the fluid out of the knee and then proceeded to show us the results of the MRI on the computer screen. Dr. W very delicately broke the news to us: A torn ACL and a medial meniscus tear. My heart hurt for Josh. He was devastated. This is the end of his senior year of sports. No more football, no hockey season, no track. He's hurting both physically and emotionally and my heart breaks for his loss. His football and hockey buddies are devastated too. He's a vital part of both teams. His friend Kelsey came over with a plate of brownies and a shoulder to lean on. She had the same injury last basketball season and just got released to play. It was a 6-7 month recovery from the surgery. Josh has to wait until the swelling goes down before his surgery. (probably in a few weeks.)

In the meantime, Pat gets surgery on his torn biceps tendon tomorrow morning. He will have a 4 month recovery. Won't the three of them be a sight on the bench during hockey season? Pat in a sling, Ryan (assistant coach) with a knee brace and Josh with a knee brace.

I think we should get a wing at Dr. W's office don't you?