My son had just experienced a tough loss in a big basketball game. As he told me how he had asked God to help him win, his eyes welled up with tears. "Sometimes I don't think He hears me."
But God never ignores our prayers, even when the answer is not what we’d hoped for. In this case, I believed God had truly helped my son play a great game. I asked him a few questions to shift his focus from the scoreboard to his personal development:
"What was it like guarding a boy who was bigger than you?"
"How did you get around him for those great layups?"
"Were those free throws as easy as you made them look?"
The sting of the loss was sure to linger, but a few hours later, I thanked God for His constant presence when I heard the dribbling of a basketball on the driveway.
This article appeared in the December 2011 issue of Thriving Family magazine and was titled "Never Silent." Copyright © 2011 by Bridget Nelan. Used by permission. ThrivingFamily.com.