"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:4)
I can't think of a more joyful moment than when you're experiencing your child's heart grow because of some remarkable breakthrough.
This past weekend, our youngest daughter, Siri, pushed aside her fears and years of anxiety to participate in her first-ever high school weightlifting meet.
And while she was absolutely giddy to receive a first place gold medal for her weight class, she was a winner from the very first moment she showed up for the meet.
You see, our youngest -- who is so full of life and has the most joyful heart you'll ever find -- has suffered sometimes crippling anxiety thanks to navigating life with dyslexia in a world that completely misunderstands what that means.
As her parents, we have had to fight her own school district for the past 11 years just to provide her with the resources and academic support she deserves, just as any other student who learns differently deserves.
Thankfully, in recent years, her high school teachers and counseling teams have done a better job of recognizing that Siri needs a different kind of support. And we are grateful for the staff who have been instrumental in that effort. But it doesn't erase a decade of hurts inflicted by a public school system built to serve the mainstream student, not the individual student.
And so, as parents, we have watched Siri start activities and quite often shrink back from them because of a severe lack of confidence, the result of years of academic struggles.
But this past Saturday, our daughter won in the most important sense of the word.
Less than a month ago, Siri -- encouraged by a friend on the weightlifting team -- came to us to say that she wanted to join weightlifting. Always looking for ways to get Siri active in anything that will improve her emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing, we were enthusiastically supportive. We just want the girl to score some wins wherever she can!
But weightlifthing? ... Well, Shelley and I thought, if this pixie-sized sunshine bomb wants to get out there and Olympic powerlift, then, hey, we're all in!
It was a whirlwind few weeks leading up to this first meet, as frankly neither Shelley nor I knew anything about the sport of weightlifting. And so we received a quick education on equipment, how meets work and the expectations of the team. It's all been very exciting!
But then Wednesday of last week hit, and Siri started to feel the enormity of what she was embarking on. She began to realize what it meant that she would have to step out in front of a large group of people, all alone on the mat to perform her weightlifting. And the old pattern of fear and anxiety tried to grip her and pull her down.
Shelley and I patiently worked with her all week, reminding her of the joy that she felt the past three weeks since she joined the team, and assuring her that she wouldn't be the only participant going out on the mat for the first time. We were moderately successful, but Siri still awoke Saturday morning a bundle of nerves.
Ultimately she went to the meet, and very early on when the girls junior varsity meet began about 11 a.m., she was up for her first lift. Just prior, she was gathered with a group of competitors in her weight class or close, and you could still see the anxiety chipping away at her courage.
But with a couple of last minute pep talks, she hung in there. And eventually walked out to perform her first snatch lift. ... And she rocked it! She bent low, snacthed the bar, rocked back into her seated position, and vaulted the bar skyward!
The look on her face afterward was sheer divine joy! That was heaven breaking through to this earthly world! ... And it was like looking into the face of the Holy Spirit herself!
Siri's face radiated with more happiness than at any time I've witnessed in her young life. And the best part was that the feelings stayed with her on throughout the rest of the weekend. ... Trust me, it's rare this girl has felt this good for that many consecutive days.
Siri lifted five more times Saturday, her three allotted lifts in the snatch and three in the clean and jerk. And she did great in all of them. Sure, there were signs of a young power lifter getting her bearings at her first meet, but there was only reason to celebrate all around!
I can't even imagine what that experience has done for her. ... Because as a parent, I'm still riding the high on her behalf three days later!
Sure, one event does not a childhood -- let alone season -- make. But we'll take even this momentary joy for our girl!
This step daddy is ecstatic for this well-deserved win for his daughter. I stand in awe of the courage it took for her to step out onto that mat all by herself and do what the world tells her she shouldn't be doing: Showing strength as a teenage girl.
So this week, Siri is my hero and my encouragement to keep at building this blog. Because if our daughter can do the challening, difficult things, then I will let her be my inspiration.
Today, I rejoice, rejoice always in Siri's big accomplishment! ... And, Lord, I pray that you help keep this momentum going for her! Amen!
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