Goals Scored in Traffic
OPENING PRAYER:
Father, open my eyes to the sacred hiding in the ordinary. Help me recognize that the most powerful moments with the children in my life often come unannounced, in the middle of regular life. Make me alert and ready.
Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:7b (NIV)
This verse describes the full spectrum of daily life in ancient Israel, sitting, walking, lying down, rising. Moses isn't prescribing four specific times for religious instruction; he's painting a picture of faith woven into the fabric of ordinary existence. The road, the home, the beginning and end of each day, these are the spaces where life actually happens.
REFLECT:
Pastor Todd Carter made a brilliant connection to soccer strategy: "Most goals are scored in the run of play." Set pieces, those planned, structured moments like corner kicks, are important, but the majority of goals happen spontaneously when the ball breaks loose and someone's in the right position. The same is true in spiritual formation. Yes, those intentional devotional times matter, but some of the most powerful faith conversations happen in the car, at the dinner table, during a walk around the neighborhood, or while working on a project together.
Todd shared a personal story that perfectly illustrates this. Driving past a grocery store, he told his boys about setting a wheat field on fire with a bottle rocket when he was ten, then racing home on his bike, terrified the fire trucks were coming for him. When his folks got home, he confessed immediately. Then he connected that story to Proverbs: "He who conceals his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." And then came the question: "Is there anything you need to tell me?" That's a goal scored in the run of play, an ordinary drive transformed into a conversation about confession, honesty, and the character God calls us to. He didn't lecture; he leveraged an ordinary moment to point them toward Jesus. That's what this verse is describing, faith that breathes in the rhythm of regular life, not just in scheduled religious moments.
Whether you're a grandparent taking your grandchild to the park, an aunt helping your niece with homework, a coach driving a young person home from practice, or a neighbor working on a project together, these ordinary moments are where faith often becomes most real.
APPLY:
This week, pay attention to the "run of play" moments with the children in your life. When you're driving somewhere together, turn off the music and ask a real question. When something happens in your neighborhood or on TV, pause and talk about it through a faith lens. Don't force it, just be alert. Keep one simple question in your back pocket: "What do you think God would say about that?" Let the conversation unfold naturally. If you don't see children regularly, create an ordinary moment, invite a young person to run errands with you, help you with a project, or join you for a walk. The goal isn't a formal lesson; it's letting faith spill into real life.
I WILL STATEMENT:
I will invite a child to serve along with me this week.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord, help me slow down enough to notice the opportunities You place in front of me. Give me wisdom to know when to speak and what to say. Let my life be so saturated with You that faith naturally spills into ordinary moments, pointing the children around me toward Your truth and love.
PRAYER REQUEST:
Share your prayer request and pray for others.