Jesus loves me, this I know

"the apple of Your eye"

Psalm 17:8

My Amazing Boy has played baseball for several years now, and it's been fun to watch him ~ and his teammates ~ improve every year.  Some of these boys we have known for years, and whether we currently play with them or against them, we can see them all getting hits and making catches they couldn't in the past.  Consequently, we sometimes find ourselves cheering for boys on the opposite team, as well as hearing parents on "the other side" cheering for our boy.

The result of all this friendliness and familiarity is that on every play, every boy involved in that play is getting cheered.  On a caught pop fly, the boy who caught it is cheered, but so is the boy who successfully hit the ball, as that certainly doesn't happen all the time.   On a strikeout, the pitcher is cheered, but the batter is applauded for his effort, too.

It makes for a more enjoyable game for everyone, and it highlights that even for the losing team, there are successes of which they can be proud.

The only problem is, for the boys, it doesn't always help.   When you've struck out, all you know is that you've struck out.  As parents, we cheer the fact that they hit a couple of good foul balls before that third strike, or had good, level swings.  (Cuz let's face it:  if you used to not swing at all, a good, level swing is an improvement!)  But the boys are focused on the fact that the result was not what they wanted.

Our praise is all genuine.  Even if a boy feels he has failed, we parents know there was something to be proud of.  In some way, he's better than he used to be.  And we're pleased and proud.

As children of God, we need to remember more often how pleased He is with us.  His love for us is even greater than the love we feel for our children.  He's capable of more love, because He is love.  Do you ever look back over your day regretting something you said or did, or something you did poorly, or something you didn't do at all?  Okay, yes, you need to work on that.  You need to ask for His help and try again tomorrow to strengthen your weaknesses.  But know that even if you need to work on something, He is pleased with your efforts.   He knows how much you've improved, and He loves you and He's proud, as only He can be.  You are the apple of His eye, and He's crazy about you!  :)