President's Day Weekend

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

Last weekend was the official start to our soccer season, even though practice has been going on for months now. All of this is new for us in so many ways: being parents of teenagers, entering the realm of competitive sports, adding practice schedules, traveling to events for our children, having any schedule outside of homeschooling and church, wading through new relationships with other parents and teens. There are times when I reflect on the newness of it all that I could be tempted to be overwhelmed and ask excessively, "What if...?" "How will we...?" "What about...?" In that moment I am quieted by God's presence with me in every circumstance. Moreover, I am contented by His purposeful plan for my life in everything, even this new and busy season of parenting. While I may feel unprepared in many ways and prone to worry, I know that He is with me.

Last weekend our son's U16 soccer team participated in a NPL (National Premier League) soccer tournament in Arizona and Nic joined the team for the weekend. It is a joy to see our son grow in the athletic talent that God gave him and to be able to be with him and cheer him on in soccer. While they were away the other kids and I visited my parents for a quiet and fun weekend. Together with them we read countless books, enjoyed crafts, played outside in the snow, visited their community center, and saw the new baby animals the farm of their friends.

It was a joyous homecoming for our family when we were reunited at home on Tuesday and this week was full of getting back into our routine and catching up. It is good for me to set aside the potential worries and questions and to rejoice in God's goodness for our family now.

A group hug before we all left for the weekend.

Hugo (#11) in action during the NPL President's Day Cup.

Nic & Hugo in Arizona.

Maria

Aliah

Corinn & Serena

Corinn & Noah