Defeating the Kindergarteners

Kindergarteners are the big kids. Well, at least when you’re in pre-school. Then those kindergarteners are big, huge, intimidating, JUMBO kids.

And my boys and their pre-school buddies have been facing off against those big old kindergarteners in soccer at recess for a week. Every day. Every single stinking day, the kindergarteners have won.

“It’s so embarrassing,” Mr. A said last week. “Losing to the big kids embarrasses me.”

“Well, it’s better than losing to smaller kids, right?” I asked.

He shrugged.

This week, my boys were scheming. Working on strategy for how to get the soccer ball away from the big kids.

“I’ll just run right over and kick the ball away to (Insert name of a friend…use your imagination). Then we’ll run and run so they can’t catch us,” Mr. A said and grinned with pride at that idea.

His brother, Mr. T (I pity the fool), gave him a fist bump.

At 3ish that day, with all my kids in the van, I asked if they’d played the big kids in soccer.

“Yeah,” Mr. A said.

“How did your strategy go?”

“It didn’t work.” He giggled. “But we have a new strategy.”

“Yeah!” Mr. T said, his massive gold chains catching the autumn sunshine (not really…the tinted windows block the sun). “Tomorrow, when the big kids start playing us, I’m going to blow a whistle and call all our pre-school friends to come play. All. At. Once.”

“They’re big, but we’ve got more friends,” Mr. A added.

***

Here’s the thing. Life is full of big kids. Big problems. Bills. Meanies. Dirty dishes and sticky floors.

Sometimes we don’t get the promotion we worked so hard for. We’re overlooked. Forgotten. Rejected.

Big kids.

But, you know what? It’s all in your perspective.

To a pre-school kid, a kindergartener looks forever taller, bigger, faster. But to me, a kindergartener is still so little. Still needs so much help in this world.

To adults, some of our problems seem forever consuming of our lives. Defeating.

But, really, if we let them boil down to what they really are, sometimes they don’t seem so big.

Sometimes we realize that we can defeat them.

And not through our own power. But through Christ who infuses us with His strength. His power.

Originally, this was going to be a post about how hard the publishing world can be. And how BIG it all seems.

But, as I started writing, I realized that this isn’t just about writing. It’s about being human.

And we all need to remember the courage it takes to go up to the big kids. Every. Stinking. Day. What it takes to keep trying. To never ever give up.

Sometimes the most brave thing we can do is to get out of bed in the morning, knowing what we have to face.

Here’s the thing. You aren’t alone. We’re together. And we have a Power that is stronger than finances or work stress or rejection.

And He’s working all things together for our good. He’s going to keep working on us until we are made perfect. He will never give up.

I don’t know about you. But that makes each upward step a little less painful and exhausting. It makes it feel possible.

What about you? Do you have any “big kids” you need to defeat? Feel free to share. Or send me a message. I’d love to have the opportunity to pray for you!