I sat in the gym bleachers and picked every bit of nail polish from my fingernails. Nervous much?! My 13 year old son, Connor, was warming up to play his first basketball game as an official Branson Pirate. This was his dream happening in real time.  

Let me back up a bit: the previous year Connor and 47 other boys tried out to make a team of 16, and after 3 days of tryouts and eliminations, Connor made it all the way to the end. However, he was one of the last 2 boys to get cut. He was So. Very. Disappointed. I had never seen him prepare and work so hard for anything. I was heartbroken for him.

My prayer was for him to know that being on the team (or not) did not define him. But let’s be real: Jr. High is brutal, and dealing with the cruel comments of peers is hard. But the gracious way Connor handled it (rooting for his friends who did make it) said a lot about his character. I was very proud of him.

To be honest, this “Mama Bear” didn’t want him to try out again this year. I knew that he had the ability and heart to be on the team, but the uncertainty and risk of how it would all go down put fear in me. Nevertheless, I prayed that God would lead him to do the very best thing.

On the day of tryouts we prayed together as a family, and Connor went to school looking a little unsettled. He had decided not to try out, but shortly after I dropped him off, I received this text, “Can you please bring me my basketball shoes?”  Oh Mylanta! He had changed his mind. He said, “Mom, if I don’t try, I’ll never know if I could have made it.” Wow, I couldn’t argue with that!

So Connor completed the 1st day of tryouts, and he came home that evening feeling pretty good. The next day the coaches would announce cuts.  I wanted to believe that if he got cut again, his experience would produce amazing character development…but at the time…nothing felt good or right about it!  Yet, how could I not be so proud of this boy’s determination and courageous heart?

Well, the next day became a day that our little family would never forget. While Connor was successfully making it through the 2nd day of tryouts, I received the worst news of my life: my beloved Daddy had been in a tragic car wreck and went home to be with Jesus. In the blink of an eye everything in my world came crashing down. But despite this, Connor got up the next day, went to school and faced his 3rd and final day of basketball tryouts. I was amazed at how strong, brave and amazing my kiddo was.  

At 5PM my husband, my younger child, Dylan, and I drove to the school to pick up Connor. We didn’t know if he had made it or not. All day, we had been praying and waiting and simultaneously reeling with overwhelming grief and sadness too. Connor got into the car, and I will never forget the intensity of that moment: the joy through the pain.  He had made it! That moment…of something so good and happy…brought us hope. A very bright spot in a blindingly dark time.

As we drove away and headed south to Texas to be with family, I sent an email to Coach Pierce, Connor’s new basketball coach. I needed to let him know that Connor would have to miss the first two days of practice due to our family tragedy. His response was so reassuring: “Totally understand, that is more than basketball, it’s life. He earned a spot and it will still be there on Monday. You and your family have a safe drive.” All I could think was, “Thank you, Jesus.”

So now I can tell you something really cool. At the very end of Connor’s first game (the one in which I nervously picked off all of my nail polish) he made a beautiful 3 point shot and it was a buzzer beater!  It was like a gift from God. I knew in my heart that Connor had done the right thing by trying out again. And up in Heaven, I know my Dad is so proud of him!

I’ve been thinking a lot about Connor’s decision to try again. He took the risk because he had hope, and that helps me to have more hope.  Right now I’m grieving the loss of my Daddy, and there are times when my view of this old world is bleak. But there is HOPE. I don’t know what you’re facing today, and things may be tough in your world right now, BUT we cannot give up our hope! Consider these scriptures:

“Be strong and courageous, all of you who put your hope in the Lord” Psalm 31:24.

“And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 2:4-5).

“Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

As I watched Connor and his teammates play, I had a revelation. My favorite hero in the Bible (besides Jesus) is David. His faith in God caused him to slay the giant despite the fact that he was the underdog. I could see that spirit in my son. Wow, he has a spirit like David! It started sinking in that, it’s ok, actually it’s more than ok, that he had to face this challenge. Even if he hadn’t made the team this time, his hope to press on was inspiring. 

But I really like smooth sailing! When the boat gets rocked, I tend to get motion sickness. But when we hang on to Jesus, He will bring us through it, AND we will be on a new, higher level with Him once we get to the other side of the storm.  So this is our hope: Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

He has overcome, and through Him we will too!