Here We Go Again

So here we go again, cheer tryouts! I posted on this topic about the same time last year, and since it seemed to be good therapy for me, thought I would do it again. Last year during this time, I was wrestling with the issue of fear; fear that my daughter, Mary Allyson, would not make cheerleading. This fear consumed me, but as I marched on in battle against the one who brings fear, I seemed to triumph through trusting and believing in Jesus and His plans for her. Regardless the outcome, I would trust God in His plans, knowing that it says in I John 4:18 “perfect love drives out fear.” That perfect love can only come from God’s son, Jesus Christ.

Yet, one year later, I don’t like to admit it, but that same fear has crept back in. However, this time God has showed me a new perspective in all this week of tryouts. You see, this year’s tryouts are a little different. You have to do your back handspring without someone spotting you. Problem is, Mary Allyson has a mental block right now and will not do it without someone standing there beside her. They don’t even have to touch her for her to do it, but she needs the presence of someone there physically beside her.

God has given me several truths from His word through this week. For one, as I’ve explained to Mary Allyson, your identity is first in Christ, not in cheerleading. And let me just go ahead and take that a step further, as I told my own self, my identity is also not in just being a cheer mom, but in being a child of God! As God’s child, my identity should first and foremost be that in Christ. Unfortunately, I too often place my identity on other things, such as who my kids are or what role I am playing in the community or church. For others, it could be your job you identify most with, or where you live, or what you drive, or who you know, or what you wear, or where you eat, or where you vacation….and the list could go on. If I continue to find my identity in these things, and not in Christ I will exhaust myself and never find fulfillment or contentment. God’s word says in Isaiah 26:3 “ You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependant on you, for it is trusting in you.” I want that peace, which means my dependence and trust has to be on Him and not on or in these other things, including cheerleading! As I told Mary Allyson, her end all be all is not wrapped up in being a cheerleader, but in being a sold-out Christ follower! That’s of eternal worth. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of good in cheerleading. For one, it allows the girls to develop good leadership qualities, along with being role models for the student body, but this is not where our true identity comes from.

Another truth I’ve learned from this week is that sometimes God doesn’t remove the fear, yet He allows us to walk through it. This being only so that we become more mature in our faith. James 1:2-4 says, 2 Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.
3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
Believe me I don’t like these times when I’m going through them, but in the end…eventually… I do like the results. Just like Mary Allyson wants someone there physically beside her, I am just that way as well when I am going through some tough times. Yet, there are times, when I’ve got to come to the line on some things by myself. It’s a time where God is calling me out on my own, but not entirely on my own because He is there with me. No, I can’t see Him, but I trust that His presence is there within me.

Once again, I don’t know what the outcome will be today, but I do know where my true identity lies, in that of the life of Christ. I pray that through this time Mary Allyson has also gained a deeper understanding of who she is in Christ, and not just who she is as a cheerleader.