One Mission
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Ok So I forgot to take a pic in Columbus..
This past weekend I was in Columbus, Ohio at a volleyball tournament with Alivia. Back in Maryland, Audrey had a swim meet. This is the first club season that Alivia and Audrey are not swimming together. Alivia has gone all in for volleyball. On paper, I appear to be over committed and pulled by two sports in separate directions. In real life, I get to talk to each of them about decision making and how God shows up in all of this. Together we pray through solutions.
It is not all on my shoulders. What a relief! I have a personal relationship with the all knowing, ever present, and all powerful God. He is my number one resource. I believe that my children will have every opportunity to explore the God given desires of their hearts. I believe He cares about even the smallest details of their lives. I am learning to listen to what God says about them and not be overwhelmed by my emotions or caught up in practicalities. I am sharing with my children what I am learning. God will provide everything they need to be successful in whatever they have been called to do. I pray for wisdom and understanding so that we can know Him and His voice better.
I am equipping Alivia and Audrey to create calendar invites, compare flights and hotels and present sports travel data to me. We pray and talk through the options. In the near future, they will teach Shiloh and Joshua to do the same.
The biggest lesson is to involve God and see how He shows up and speaks to us as we make decisions. Alivia gave me a list of hotels and I planned to book one. I said a quick prayer and I felt God told me to wait. So, I did. Did I mention that this is the night before we are supposed to leave? The following day I believe that God placed it on my heart how to book a hotel. I was prompted to use another site to create the booking. I sat down with Alivia and we did it together. That same night we had severe thunderstorm warnings that turned into Tornado warnings that kept us sheltered in the basement until midnight. Our flight was grounded until 3 am.
I was feeling some sort away about the hotel situation. Why did I book a room if I wouldn’t be there that night? Did I mess up or misunderstand? I had to bring those feelings into alignment with who God is. He loves me, has great plans for me. He can work anything together for good because I love him and I am called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28) So, I chose to trust God. It doesn’t always make sense. I believe He honors my faith and trust. I often say “I trust you God” or “Help my unbelief.”
With my limited understanding of the delay, I chose to rejoice and actively shared with Alivia as we went along. I counted out some of our blessings. Our flight could have been canceled altogether, but it was not! Our airline credited us with vouchers for our next flight! A benefit of the room we chose is that we were in the same hotel as good friends on the team and we were able to spend more time together. We also had a place to go immediately upon arrival and were able to take a quick nap and get refreshed before Alivia hit the volleyball court.
Every time Alivia touches the ball, she is getting better. She has a growing enthusiasm for the sport and remains curious. She is putting in work and she is developing into her potential. We have been hitting the gym together and it has been a fun mother daughter experience. She was awarded the Unsung Hero Award at her club team banquet.
Across the country, Audrey put on a show in the pool. She got a personal best in the 50 Free and qualified for a big meet. She dropped time in all her events but one. There was still a victory there. Audrey shared that she did not want to swim the last event. She had given her best in the prior event and felt like she had no more to give. But she made the choice to push herself. She said a prayer and prepared to swim the event. I am so impressed that she did not scratch. I am so impressed that she showed up in a big way even though I could not be present. She is grateful that she has access to these meets. She is learning to get into a winning mindset, regardless of what is going on and who is around. At times, I may not be physically present but she understands her mission and she will have no lack of support.
Friends and family have shown up in a variety of ways to support our endeavors with cheering, rides/car pools, fundraising, videos of events, encouraging words, and supporting our wellness/lifestyle business - each of these have been a tremendous answer to prayer. Each answer to prayer is a part of our testimonies of how God showed up for us in amazing ways. We are building personal history with God. It is great to hear about the stories in the Bible and when God shows up for us it becomes personal. My heart overflows with gratitude when I could feel weary, unfortunate, and overwhelmed. This increases my gratitude that much more.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19 NIV
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
Psalms 23:1 NIV
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””
This is my dad, Benjamin McKenzie. He is a handsome tall man. More often than not, you hear me talk about my mom. My mom was the outspoken one and it is easy to give her credit for most but that would be inaccurate.