I had just turned 13 and my life started to fall apart. My parents had separated and my older sister got married and moved away. A good friend died in a car accident, and on top of it all, I hit puberty. I became rebellious, not just at home, but also with my teachers. The only person I feared was the school director, a tall and elegant woman who didn’t put up with any foolishness.
Eventually, my teachers got fed up with me and I was sent to talk with the director. I went into her office trembling, but to my surprise she received me with a smile and told me I would be having a few sessions with the school counselor.
The counselor was a sweet, well-prepared lady who, after hearing all of my complaints, asked me if I liked sports.
“Yes,” I replied. At that time, I was playing in my neighborhood sports club. We were the champions of Rio de Janeiro’s Teen Volley Championship.
She continued: “If you want to play and win, do you play by your own rules or by the rules of the game?”
“By the rules of the game, otherwise I will be disqualified and lose my chance to play,” I responded.
“And so it is with the game of life. If you want to play well and be a winner, you must play by the rules,” she concluded.
Suddenly, I understood. What I had learned in sports about teamwork, cheering others on when they make a mistake, following the coach’s instructions, or lunging to get a seemingly lost ball and scoring an unexpected point could be applied to life. Soon I went back to being the happy, well-behaved student I had been before. What a great influence a caring adult can have on a teenager!
Cora Coralina, a famous Brazilian writer, said: “Even when everything seems to be tumbling down, it is up to me to decide if I will cry or laugh, go or stay, give up or keep fighting, for I have discovered that in the uncertain road of life, the most important thing to do is to decide.”
Our lives are built on decisions. God created a beautiful world for us to live in and enjoy, but we must put Him and His will in first place; and like any game, it takes practice. Sometimes we have to lay aside our own plans and just follow His leading, even when we don’t understand. That requires faith and trust that He has the best game plan for each one of us.