For all who believe, there will be a tomorrow

This week Amanda, my 16-year-old granddaughter, is playing on an all-star softball team in Denver, Colorado, while her dad, brother, sister and I are here in Las Vegas.

Yesterday Amanda made an error that put her team behind. Her coach immediately pulled her from the game and had her sit on the bench. Nikki, her mother, texted me as the game progressed, and I found myself angered that such an embarrassing injustice had to be inflicted on such a dedicated athlete.

In Amanda's second game she was allowed to pinch hit but grounded out. Another cause for rejection from her manager. Fortunately her dad Dave did not share the same coaching mentality. He telephoned his daughter, asking who she was afraid of, and through tears she admitted it was her fear of letting down her coach, her team, her parents, and herself. Dave went on to remind Amanda that she was an all-star, that she had been selected because of her ability, that no matter what she did on the softball field she was special and she was loved, and that there would always be tomorrow.

This morning Nikki texted me and asked that I pray for Amanda. She, too, was hurting for her daughter and wanted to "run and cry." I responded that Amanda is an extraordinary young woman, that God has great plans for her, and there is life beyond softball. I finished by reminding her that we are fortunate there are no eternal consequences for making errors in athletic events.

Amanda's parents hurt because their daughter hurts. And it's not a fun place to be. Every parent knows the sting. It's the child not invited to the birthday party. The last third-grader picked for a playground game. The teen mocked for second-hand clothes. The water boy who couldn't run fast enough to play. The employee who got the pink slip. The spouse who no longer satisfied. The first baseman who was booed. And, as parents, we feel helpless. Been there. Still there.

There are few hurts that can compare. Given the choice, I know no parent who would check the "kick my child when he is down" box. Yet that is the very choice God made for us.

No one knew rejection as Jesus did. In scripture we read that there was a time even Jesus' family thought he was out of his mind. Scribes and Pharisees considered him demonic. His disciples called him "teacher" but failed multiple times to pay heed to the urgency of his messages. One of his "friends" betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver.

None of this surprised our Creator. Before the world began, He knew He would have to send His son to earth and watch as His gift, the only gift that could be paid to cover our sins, was rejected. He knew only a handful would stand beside him as he was crucified. How grieved God had to be, watching His son hang helplessly while so many turned their backs on him. I can't imagine what that had to be like to sit by while my child died such an excruciatingly painful, lonely death. Who could possibly choose that?

A loving, merciful Father, that's Who, and His message of hope resounds with clarity for His children today just as it did at Calvary: we are special; we are loved; and for those who choose to believe, there WILL be a tomorrow.