Taking One for "The Team"

by | Jan 5, 2010 | This Lefe Family

I am so proud of our son, Zach! I’m proud of him for many reasons, but today, the reason that stands out to me the most is because of how he handled something on Sunday.

Sunday was his first indoor soccer tournament of the season. His team is not used to playing 3 vs. 3 indoor soccer…it’s a totally different game than 11 vs. 11 outdoor soccer, which is what they are used to. Sadly, his team got beat in all three games. 🙁 I missed his first game at 3pm, but both Bill and Zach filled me in on it.

These games are pretty physical, and I wonder sometimes why these kids aren’t wearing shoulder pads and helmets! Zach played the position of defender for the first game. Evidently, one of the boys on the opposing team said a word that Zach thought shouldn’t be said. So, Zach said to the boy, “Watch your language.”

Then in the very next play, this boy kicked the soccer ball as hard as possible at Zach. Bill said if Zach would have moved, the ball would have went the length of the entire football field (they were playing on a portion of the Iowa Hawkeyes practice football field). When Zach showed me his leg Monday morning, and the marks and welts this ball left, I couldn’t believe it! You can certainly make out the shape and design of the soccer ball on his leg! It looks very painful, but Zach said it’s not.

Bill and I have always taught our kids to keep our language clean and to steer away from swearing. Luke 6:45 says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” This isn’t the first time Zach has stood up to one or more kids swearing. He sometimes gets made fun of because of the stand he takes against swearing, but this is the first time he took some physical abuse.

We talked about the fact that he did the right thing…he stood up for what was right, he stood up for Jesus, and he took one for the team–“God’s team.” Few people know what really happened–Zach, the other boy, Bill, and the people Zach has shared this with. But that really doesn’t matter…God saw what happened, and God will honor what Zach did in some way. I couldn’t be more proud of him!

As our son learned yesterday, taking one for “The Team” can be tough…but it’s worth it! Way to go Buddy! 🙂
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