This Trouble of Mine

I was feeling really generous yesterday. I pulled the kids away from the TV and out of their pyjamas, filled their water bottles and piled them into a taxi heading to the mall.

When we arrived, we went to buy movie tickets and while we waited I bought them icecreams. 10mins later one child said she didn't want hers so I took a few bites. The next child said she wanted it so I said "How about you take this one that's still covered in chocolate and I finish yours?" Then the meltdown happened. She wanted both.

The day before I had gone running past a little shack near our apartment. I had actually peeked inside to see if someone was home. It looked more like planks of wood piled at various angles than a house and I only saw one piece of furniture - a crate that doubled as a table.

That picture flashed through my mind as I stared at my furious child who has everything. I don't know how you teach children contentment, when adults don't even understand it. But I hope that one day as they encounter set-backs in their lives, they will remember the kids in grubby t-shirts who ask them for money. And they will shrug and say "This trouble of mine? This is not so bad."

While Watching Them

When I was 16 I joined a team of young adults who ran a program for kids on holiday at the beach. The team were mostly in their 20s, giving up their own vacation to share their faith, their love and their lives with the kids.

I came away from that experience with a new set of heroes and a resolve to live my life like those leaders. It was an experience that shaped my character profoundly from that moment forward. I was inspired to go back again and again to volunteer myself for that program and many more since.

Last night we spent time with Ken's Campus Ministry classmates and I saw the same character transaction taking place in my kids. They began forming heroes that will forever be impressed on their hearts. Heroes that sacrifice their time, their money, their comforts...and so much more...to invest in young people. And my kids are beginning to form their own futures, while watching them. If I came to this country for that moment, it was worth it.

Winning isn't Everything

When I was younger I had a state ranking in junior tennis. Mum and I would travel around to the different tournaments as I accumulated a nice collection of golden trophies. It was fun. It was exciting. But it was lonely.

You see, when you’re at the top, everyone else wants to be in your place, not with you. I remember the jealous glares and the cutting remarks, the feisty parents and the coaches who taught us how to cheat.

When our family moved away from my tennis epicentre of Warrnambool it was time for a change. I didn’t join the local club and I didn’t practise day in, day out anymore. I still enjoyed playing but to be at the top, you need to put in the time and money. And the motivation for that was gone.

I don’t regret the time we put into tennis as I grew up. Not at all. It was filled with many great memories. And if any of my children wanted to take their interests to the top level then I would gladly help them pursue that. But I would also make sure they knew that winning isn’t everything and if their goal was in searching for some kind of satisfaction, there’s better places to find it.

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