We All Need a Signature Squeal!

This evening our family played putt-putt at the request of our nine year old. We had a really nice time even though it was 90 degrees outside. This is the first time we've played that Allison really understood the game. She didn't want any help and played every single hole. I had so much fun watching her. She diligently took several strokes at each hole, never getting frustrated or aggravated. And when she finally got the ball in the hole, she would yell, "YES!" Then she would squeal out a big, "wahoooo!" 

Hole 13 was exceptionally difficult which required Allison to take several more strokes than normal. I thought surely she would get irritated with it taking so long but once she got the ball in, she yelled, "YES! That was the best hole yet!" Then she squealed her signature squeal. 

At times she made the course more difficult than it needed to be by standing on top of the barricades and trying to putt from there. As I watched her do this, my face was full with a smile, and then I heard God whisper to me, "She is so much like you! Its okay for you to be more like her too." I wondered what that meant and as I continued to giggle at her attempts to putt in such an awkward way I realized that I too often make things much more difficult than they need to be. The difference is, when I fail or my success takes too long, I am so hard on myself. I'm never thrilled just because I finally made it in. Instead, I scold myself for it taking 7 strokes. I don't have a signature squeal because it's not typical of me to cheer myself on or be proud of myself. 

God teaches me so much through my children. Today I'm grateful for the lesson Allison taught me. No matter what, regardless of the number of attempts or mistakes, God wants me to show myself grace and be happy with my successes. I'm hard on myself most of the time, so this was a needed lesson.

Maybe its time for us all to find our signature squeal!