The Lord's Grace and mercy is truly remarkable!
I attend a fairly large Church of about 2000. My family started going there about 5 yrs ago. At that time they offered MEN'S basketball on Monday nights. Pickup. There was a woman who went each week and although not terrible she had a lot of trouble keeping up with the men. I remember having conversations with several of the men about how ridiculous it was that a woman kept showing up and messing up the balance of play for the MEN'S basketball. Imagine the GALL of me, basically a new person, saying that against this woman! Back then, we at least had a prayer before we played. As the weeks went on, it became clear that not enough 30+ year old men were showing up so the age of the players dropped to the point that it was almost all late teens early 20s showing up as well as the 30 something year old woman and a couple of die hard middle age guys.
We don't have a gym so the Sanctuary is really a large multi-pupose area, and this is where we played. By this time, there was no Spritual element at all. It was basically an open YMCA gym, and the play got rougher, more intense, and some people only got to play for short periods of time. There was no leadership of any kind. The Church finally pulled the plug on it about a year and a half ago.
Last year I wanted to help with UPWARD basketball, a Christ centered, mostly non-competetive kids league. I had never coached before so I asked if I could be an assisstant. BY CHANCE (yeah right) I was assigned to help the woman who I had complained against!
THIS year I wanted to try head coaching, and BY CHANCE, HER son was assigned to my team and she asked if she could assisst me because she was also coaching her younger daughter's team.
In all honesty, this is one of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever known. Going out of her way to help everyone and anyone, with the kind of patience I wish I had.
Now WE are starting up "MEN'S" basketball again with the Church's blessing, and devotionals planned for halftime!
After being such a jerk regarding this woman, who only wanted to go out and play basketball one night a week, the Lord revealed that it was MY heart that needed checking, not hers for showing up to play!
Amazing how God works even what we think are little details of our life for His Glory and our good.