"What the Heck?"

These were his words not mine. Chase had a ball game tonight. It has been a beautiful day. The sun was shining as bright as ever. It was windy and there was a cool front moving in but the clouds weren't moving fast enough to cover the sun.

The boys were warming up, throwing back and forth. The next thing I know Lauren comes running to Mike and I, saying Chase had been hit with the ball. Walking calmly toward him I see it is a little worse than I had expected I though maybe he got hit in the arm, leg, maybe even the stomach? Wasn't prepared for the face. First sight of blood I normally freak out, but God knew I needed to be calm about this.

Back a few seasons ago Chase was beamed in the back by a ball. It left a huge welt and bruised the next day. He was done. I thought he would never play ball again, but when his sister took interest in fast pitch softball this year, well let's just say his interest peaked again in playing baseball. I was excited as anything that gets my children out of the house and active is good in my eyes!

Dad was coaching his age group again and they needed an extra player. So he stepped up again to play. The season has been a pretty sad one. We have lost every game. But honestly these kids don't even seem to care. I believe they care more about their own mistakes on the field and letting their team down than they do about losing to another team. Unfortunately we lost a player a few days ago to bad grades and it left us in a tight spot. We had 10 players. Now we have 9. Which brings us to tonight.

Walking calmly to my son I see the blood pouring from his mouth. I go straight to the concession stand while Mike goes to him and grab some ice and some paper napkins. I had his sister grab his bottled water and Mike and I get him all cleaned up. Mike decided to go to the store to get him some pain reliever. I asked Chase if he was OK and he asked to speak with me alone.

I really in my heart thought he was going to tell me that he wanted to quit again. But it wasn't that. His words shocked me and his actions were so humbling. He told me "I asked him What the Heck?" pointing up to heaven, I asked who God and he shook his head yes. My heart broke, but I so understood him.

I know that Chase really enjoys playing ball, I believe he loves the interaction with kids, as he doesn't have that much at our home. As much as he complains about having games every other night, I can tell he has a good time and wants to improve and he always tries to do his best.

What is a mother to say? What do you say in a moment like that? God was there he gave me words. I told him that God didn't want him to get hurt. That many injuries come from playing ball and I asked for him to understand it was an accident. I shared with him that I know many people probably felt like that. Somer Thompson's Mother for example (a young girl killed in Florida)I bet she felt like "What the Heck God?" I told Chase to always remember evil does not come from God. I often share with him the blog of another mother who's child was shot and who is still in recovery. Reminding him that there are always people who have it worse.

After sharing some examples of why this was not of God and how it was simply bad luck, I asked if I could pray with him and he said yes. He hugged me with tears in his eyes and I prayed over his injury and for him to show courage and most importantly to always keep his head up and show good sportsmanship.

My dad (coach) came over and asked if Chase would be playing and Chase said "yes!" Praise God! Thank you for giving him the courage to get back on the field, had he not they would have had to forfeit. I could tell he was a little nervous about getting hit again but he did pretty good.

My son taught me something tonight, As I kept score I thought about how many times I have questioned God with the same words "what the heck?" Especially when I think about things that I have prayed for that seem to go unanswered for so long. 1 Year turns into 2, 3, 5, 10? What the heck? I believe this is why some people have a hard time believing in God, one of many reasons of course. People want answers and they want them now. So when they do question God, and they don't get the answer they want, or they don't get it in their time......they decide he isn't for them. Everyone has trials and everyone goes through some form of pain. It is the belief of one man that God puts us through these trials so we can become stronger in our faith but also for us not to be to comfortable here on earth. For us to also feel free to leave this world. The thought of heaven seems just a bit brighter when we think of the hell we are already living here on earth. Even the most perfect family will see death, feel guilt, and make some bad choices.

So back to the lesson I learned, we are all human! We all have our doubts and times of frustration. There are times we want to give up, and times we feel like we have been hit in the face with a ball. There will be times when God opens our eyes to see that he can still perform miracles and there will be times when we are asked to wait patiently. I am still waiting......