soccer, sno cones and sex trafficking

If you're not a soccer fan or if you live in a cave, then you might have missed one of the best soccer games ever a couple weeks ago when the US Women's team beat a very tough Brazil team. The game was the biggest emotional roller coaster ever and the US Women's team couldn't seem to catch a break.

It was as if the soccer gods were conspiring against them or as if the refs just hated the US or something. From the first bogus red card, to the penalty kick re-take, to the second goal which was a missed offsides call, to the Brazilian players faking injury, to the girl hopping off the stretcher and running to the sideline fiasco, and on and on and on.

I was so frikkin angry.

I was just sitting there with my wife and I was screaming "I WANT JUSTICE!!!"

And then we got it...Abby Wambach's magical header, in the waining moments of stoppage time, in extra time, gave us life with a 2-2 tie and I just knew it was destiny. The US then went on to win the game, in penalty kicks. Hope made an incredible save and every US kicker slotted their shot in the back of the net.

JUSTICE!!!

But before the "justice" came, I cannot tell you how worked up and angry I was. I just kept saying things like, "This isn't fair. These girls don't deserve this. These refs are out to get them." I was so upset...

About a soccer game.

And if you think that's ridiculous, then how about this one? One time in high school, I had just gotten back to the house after a long day of roughing it in the sun, getting tan, playing volleyball, and laying by the pool and I was enjoying a delicious sno cone. Well, I was goofing around or something and I ended up dropping my delicious sno cone on the ground. And right now you're saying to yourself, "No big deal", right?

Wrong

I let out a yell like a banshee and then proceeded to kick a hole in the wall.

I...kicked a hole...in the wall...because I dropped my sno cone.

Just too much injustice for me to take I guess.

Why do we care so much about things that don't really matter? Why do we get so worked up about things that really have no bearing in life? Why do we get so angry at the injustice of trivial things like sports, tv shows, and sno cones? Why do we find joy in things so fragile that it is wrecked by the spilling of a delicious icy treat?

But maybe the better questions than all of those are...

Why don't we care so much about things that really matter? Why don't we get worked up about things that have huge bearing in life? Why don't we get angry at the injustice of serious things like sex trafficking, starving kids, widows and orphans? Why don't we find joy in things more solid and consistent so that it's not wrecked by the spilling of a delicious icy treat?

So many of us spend so much of our heart, so much of our emotions and so much of our time and energy on things that have almost zero eternal significance. Seriously, ZERO.

What things do you care about, and I mean truly care about? What things get you worked up that really matter? What injustices make you angry, so angry that you're willing to step out there and do something about it? What fights are you fighting? What things of genuine value stir your heart?

We can do better.

We can be better.

Let's do this.