October 28, 2026

“A person’s steps are established by the Lord, and he takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord supports him with his hand.” – Psalm 37:23-24

The high school my kids attend has one of the best marching bands in the state. It is a point of pride going back to before I was in high school. This year was especially big for us. My daughter is in her senior year and is the drum major (that’s the band leader for those of you not familiar with the lingo). This is an incredible honor that she worked very hard to achieve. They went into yesterday’s state competition as the defending champions from 2025 and seeded number one. But in the end, they came in second place by less than a point; the closest competition I had ever seen! That might not seem like a big deal to some, but work on this program started way back at the beginning of the summer. They have performed in 100-degree temperatures and freezing rain. They have practiced almost every day of the week for months. They poured everything they had into this competition and still came up just a little bit short.

Needless to say, it was a long, quiet ride home last night. As a father, I wish I had the right words to say or the perfect encouragement to relieve the disappointment. What do you do when your kid did everything right but still didn’t see the fruit of all their hard work? Well, the answer, like everything in life, comes down to their relationship with God. This whole thing was not about a title or a trophy. If we truly view this through the eyes of eternity, then I can trust God was using every victory, and every disappointment to shape her into who he wants her to be. He established her steps, even the difficult ones. And because of that, I can trust he also supports her with his hand. My daughter was hurting, but I know and have seen her strong trust in the Lord. Though I am not the father who has all the perfect answers and knows all the beauty behind this disappointment, she has a Father who does.

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving, caring for, and directing my children so much better than I ever could.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon