Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Now That I Know Everything ...

I was coaching my 6-year old's basketball practice and we stayed after practice for a while to work on layups. Layups are a challenging skill for a 6-year old. It requires them to dribble, pay attention to the goal, and quickly transition from dribbling to a shot. So after a few successful repetitions, he looked up and said "Dad, now that you've taught me how to shoot a layup and I know everything about basketball, what are you going to teach me?"

The truth is that he HAS been exposed to a number of elements of the game, BUT substantial growth, refinement, and additional learning will be required if he is to continue to play the game of basketball.

Perhaps I could learn something from my son's overconfidence. A relationship with God is not an event, but a process. To mature in faith requires growth, refinement, time, and continued learning. So often I think I have arrived ... only to realize I'm more like the 6-year old who thinks he has mastered basketball! Thanks be to God for his grace and mercy to forgive such arrogance.