Apparently, I’m a “fixer,” or so say some of the people who know me best. If you want drugs or the name of a hitman, I’m not your girl, but generally speaking, I absolutely love to play a part in finding solutions to problems, big or small, that are causing hardship, disappointment or frustration. And to my great delight, I was recently able to do this very thing for my 7-year-old grandson, Levi.
A few months ago, my husband and I were at Levi’s last fall-season soccer game when the coach announced he was giving the “Hustle Award” to our grandson, with the trophy to be presented at some future team gathering. The kid lit up.
I’ve coached and played on many sports teams and I know this award isn’t usually given to the player who scores the most goals or points, but to the kid who faithfully shows up, gives it his or her best, and has a good attitude.
When we again visited our son and his family last month, I asked Levi if I could see his trophy. He hung his head and told me his “Hustle Award”—the one of which he was so, so proud—had been broken beyond repair and thrown away.
The most likely culprit was Levi’s 2-year-old brother, Miles. The facts of the case are still a bit murky, but when there’s no butler to blame for the crime, it’s always the toddler, isn’t it?
Levi’s disappointment hurt my heart. What was a grandma to do but find a phone booth, spin around a few times, don my bedazzled superhero outfit and turn into Super Gram, the righter of wrongs?
Well, truth be told, I just got online and ordered that boy a replacement trophy. Every time Levi looks at it, I hope he sees the love wrapped around it and knows that not only did his coach see his effort and good attitude, but so did his Gram.
Oh, if only every broken thing in our lives could be so easily fixed. Amazon has a zillion things for sale, but it doesn’t sell restored relationships, hearts, dreams or memories to replace broken, painful ones. There are so many things that seem unfixable to us … but not to God.
One of the most beautiful prophetic passages about Jesus is found in Isaiah 61. Written centuries before His incarnation, Isaiah accurately foretold what the ministry of Jesus would be like: He would bring good news to the afflicted, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom to captives and prisoners, and comfort all who mourn, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
We know this was a prophecy about Jesus because Jesus said so in Luke 4:18. And yes, He did and still does exactly what Isaiah said He’d do, and more.
Jesus is all about fixing things—most importantly, the broken relationship between man and God caused by our sins against Him. Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father and to give believers new hearts and the assurance of eternal life in heaven when our earthly lives end.
There’s no more glorious trophy than that.
And sometimes, having experienced God’s redemptive grace ourselves, we get to become agents of His healing to those around us. What joy it brings when the ultimate Fixer allows us to be part of His fixing process.
May we always be looking for ways to help and heal, knowing, as God’s Word says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us …” (2 Corinthians 5:20a).
Even if that simply looks like replacing a kid’s broken soccer trophy.