The Perfect Role

Last night Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, and Mariah played on their spring football teams.  Mariah's team was a player short, so Jordan was able to step in and play in her game too.  Everyone cheered extra loud when Mariah got the ball.  She was the only girl and the smallest player on the field too.  She wore a hair bow and gave the meanest faces she could to her opponents.

Jackson grabbed several flags on his game, Tyson scored a touchdown, and Jordan scored 2 touchdowns during his games.  The boys already knew they did great, but after the game we were all congratulating Mariah for running the ball so far.  Then Jordan added, "I made sure I blocked the other guys to keep them away from Mariah while she ran the ball."

"Really?" I said, "I hadn't noticed!"  I looked back at the video, and there he was- running down the field alongside Mariah blocking the opponents while she gloriously ran free.  Because I had only been looking at how well Mariah was doing, I didn't even notice the supporting role her brother had played.

Jordan's watchful eye and fast legs was a role of great importance as he helped his sister succeed!!  As I continued to watch this quick 15 second video, I noticed the great disappointment on Jordan's face when the other team did grab her flag.  He rubbed his hands together with a determination to never let that happen again!

I continued to think about the roles these kids are playing in each other's lives...

This morning, we went on a 4 1/2 mile training run for our upcoming race in Niagara Falls.  Tyson really wanted to run on a trail in the woods, but it was about a mile down a busy street to get there.  Mariah rode her bike while we ran- which makes me nervous on her wobbly wheels.

As I looked back, my heart was comforted that all the way there, Tyson ran alongside her to keep her safe from falling into the road... protecting her from the danger.  His role was of great importance too as he brought physical safety to his sister.

As I continued to ponder the important roles of these older brothers helping Mariah, I realized the supporting role she had given her siblings too.  

Yesterday, 5 year old Mariah came inside to announce to the family that she had made a picnic for everyone.  She made 8 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all by herself and had set out a blanket with oranges and bananas on the front lawn.  I added green beans to the picnic, and we all sat on the grass grateful for the break from our work.  I tend to be a workaholic, so her reminder to take a break and enjoy the sunshine was perfect.  We needed the change of pace after such hard studying, and her thoughtfulness warmed all of our hearts.  Her role was of great importance as she brought peace to to our busy lives.

As we carried the food in after the picnic, I told her what a wonderful idea it was for her to do such a nice thing for everyone. Without even turning around to look at me she said, "Jesus told me to do it!" Her answer took me by surprise.  I was praising her for the important role she had played, and she quickly gave all the credit to Jesus.

Of course!!  Jesus plays the GREATEST, MOST FANTASTIC role of all!!

When we get baptized, we choose to take Jesus' name upon our lives.  In the past, my mother has beautifully explained it to me this way:

When we are in a play, we learn as much as we can about the person we are portraying.  We read about them, study about them, and even try to talk like them.  When we get baptized, we are taking on the role of the GREATEST one to ever walk the Earth... our SAVIOR!!  We work hard to read and study about His teachings and His life from the scriptures, and we try our very hardest to be Christlike.  

Then it hit me...  As the children helped each other succeed, protected each other from danger, and brought each other peace, they were playing the role of Jesus!

What a perfect role!!