The screams kept coming. “Go Landon!” “Faster, buddy!” “Move those arms! Awesome!” “Let’s GOOOO!” “Great job!”

My family is not new to sporting events. We have very active and sporty children who participate in soccer games, swim meets, and biking events. However, Landon’s mom, whoever she was, was one of the loudest, most energetic moms I had ever witnessed at an event. I have videos of my son swimming, and it is hard to hear anything in the video because I was standing entirely too close to Landon’s mom and her cheering.

During the event and afterward, while watching the videos, we laughed. The cheering was verging on the ridiculous. However, when I reflected on that event the next day, I recalled the joy Landon’s mom had in cheering for her son. Don’t we all want someone that will champion us like that? Don’t we all want someone who will cheer us on to the finish line with such enthusiasm and joy that we know we are loved and supported?

God is our champion. We are His kids, and He delights in us. “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19, emphasis added).

And Zephaniah 3:17 says “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you, [… he] will rejoice over you with singing” (emphasis added). The Lord delights over us with singing. What an amazing picture that is of the Lord of the universe!

Sometimes as a mom I can get too critical. I focus too much on the things my kids do wrong or how I need to help them “do better,” oftentimes because I want everything to look good on the outside. Do I spend enough time championing my kids? Do I spend enough time cheering on my children and ensuring them that God is also cheering them on, that He is singing over them? It is so important that we lead and guide our children. For it is in the everyday moments, like those we experienced at the game, when we are helping to shape our kid’s identity. We are speaking, or shouting, words of identity, confidence, and love over them. Let’s be like Landon’s mom, and unabashedly cheer.