Know vs. No

My oldest son is finishing up his 11th grade of high school this coming June. He holds many interests, but the one he engages in most is volleyball. He has played volleyball for seven years now. Each year, his level of competition has elevated. For two years, he trained at the Junior Olympic level, which challenged him and accelerated his level of play. One of his many dreams is to play at the collegiate level. When he initially disclosed his dream to my husband and me, we didn't think much of it. We didn't fully comprehend how significant it was. We believed his future studies were paramount, and finding a quality career when completing college was superior to playing volleyball in college. We had his future success in mind rather than consider his current heart success. Our thought process, although very practical, was contrary to my son's. Why couldn't he have heart success and future success at the same time?

Instead of changing his point of view, my husband and I exchanged ours.

We had to put our son's perspective at a higher value and listen to what he desired for his life and not only what we imagined for him. It's not every day when you receive college recruiting emails for your athleticism and leadership. After the initial debate of playing volleyball in college, we discussed what schools he should consider. Without hesitation, I promptly responded, "only schools on the east coast." Schools I can visit by just jumping in my car. He's my firstborn child; he has to be close but can be (a little) far.☺With those guidelines, my son focused on the east coast. He received interest emails from coaches on the east coast, and then two weeks ago, he received a request from a college out in California. AHHH! Nope. No way. No how. Not my son.

But then God. He gave me one of His famous gentle nudges. He told me not to limit His son. His options are limitless, so why am I limiting what He can do?

Once again, I had to shift my heart. I'm not "letting go" of my son but actually launching my son. Isn't that what college is about? To cut the apron strings and propel our children to soar on their own? It's like the mama bird with her baby birds. When it's time for the fledglings to fly, she sometimes has to kick them off of the branch; ironically, my son didn't need the kick; I did.

So with that, my heart and mind caught up with one another, and I reevaluated my perspective. I altered my tune and encouraged my son not just to wait for prospective college coaches to reach out to him but to initiate contact first. And not to those just on the east coast either but anywhere he prayerfully desires to go. I stated, "it's better to receive a "no" response than to never know." At least try than not try. The worst regret is not trying.

I guess that's not only a message for my son but also for me and maybe for you. Let's at least try and receive an answer; even if it's a "no," that's better than never knowing.

To be continued . . .