I Used To Think I Was A Good Communicator, Until Now!

The Story continues ....... There seems to be a significant communication gap between us and THEM.  I have prided myself, maybe that is what the Lord is teaching me, with my ability to communicate well with almost anyone.  It doesn't matter the education level, the cultural background, I can typically communicate what I am thinking in an understandable way to them.  So, THEY arrive and I figure, no problem, I got this.  One of the first indications that maybe "this" was slipping through my fingers happened a few weeks ago.

I already told you that Nate is on the JV soccer team. I have become a "soccer dad". Anyway, that is a story for another time.  Nate's team was playing Prattville.  I asked him if he would be playing in the field next to the stands.  He said yes.  His team plays at the YMCA soccer complex near AUM.  I thought "Great!"  I had already reconned the field and knew that I could sit in the SUV and watch the whole game, vice sitting on the hard bleachers in the cold.  The soldier in me is getting soft.  So I drove to the field about 5:30pm, parked the SUV perpendicular to the field of battle, and watched.

After a while, I noticed that one of our players had really long hair.  Being quick witted, I knew that could not be our team because our team is not coed.  So sitting in the van doesn't let you see all that well, but it is comfortable .. and the Starbucks coffee was really good.  So I called Nate.

P: Nate where is your team playing, I don't see you
N: Papa, we are playing in Prattville.
P- You forgot to tell me the game was in Prattville, you said you would be in field 1
N- Oh I thought you knew.  We will be back late.
P- How late.
N- About 10pm.  We have to wait for the Varsity to play.
P- And there was silence in the SUV

"I THOUGHT YOU KNEW."  Knew what? That what he said was not what he meant? Or maybe he was not answering the question I thought I asked. Somehow my sitting at the wrong field had become my fault. And I knew at that moment, that all the skills I thought I had were being tested and tried.  I was thinking of the song in the Sound of Music "He is sixteen and may not make it to seventeen, not if he keeps this up" or something like that. Well, I guess that song is nothing like that.  But it made me feel a little better.  More later .....