As I have written so many times before, I absolutely love autumn weather! As I write this, it is a sunny August day but the temperature is only in the 70s and a wonderful breeze is blowing...soon and very soon!!! I enjoy this season for numerous reasons that I have accounted for you previously. Not the least of the reasons is that this time of year is the best time of year in sports. Now it may come as a shocker to you but I thoroughly enjoy baseball and college football. Go Braves and Go DAWGS!!!
As a Braves and Dawgs fan, I, unfortunately, rely on what might be referred to as The Glory Days. Many of you have events in your life that you can remember just where you were and what you were doing when those events occurred. One such event for me happened on October 28th 1995. Tom Glavine faced the most feared offense in the MLB that season and held the Cleveland Indians to just one hit in game six of the October Classic. With a 1-0 lead, manager Bobby Cox put in the ace closer Mark Wohlers in the top of the ninth. Wohlers recorded two quick outs. And then he faced Carlos Baerga. Wohlers threw him a splitter that did not move the way that it was intended. He left the pitch a little high and on the outside corner of the plate. Baerga hammered it into to left-center field. I nearly could not watch but my eleven year old eyes remained glued to the screen. Marquis Grissom took chase and the moment that the ball touched his glove, "The Team of the Nineties" had their World Series. I sat there in jubilant disbelief. Tears of joy filled my eyes! I watched "my" team win it all! That of course was twenty-two years ago. Today the Braves are sitting in third place in their division with a 2017 record of 57-71. Hey, at least they are still better than the Phillies!
All Dawgs fans remember the historic 1980 season where Herschel Walker put up freakish numbers and set records. That season, the boys in silver britches won the National Championship Game over Notre Dame with a score of 17-10. They finished that season with a 12-0 record but, alas, I was not born until 1984. Thirty-seven years later and we still reminisce about that season. We remind our opponents about that historic season and seemingly year after year we threaten to repeat that historic feat. "Maybe this is the year", we hopefully project. Until mid-late season when we utter the most famous words in Georgia sports..."maybe next year."
Okay...so what? There have been times when I have found myself basking in the "Glory Days" of my walk with Christ. I have been blessed in my life to see God do amazing things in and through me. I am not boasting on myself...I am boasting on Christ. He has allowed me to see countless people come to himself through me. I have seen people lay everything at the foot of the Cross. I have seen families repaired because of Jesus. I have seen the Holy Spirit bring people from the grip of addiction. I have seen Jesus grow his church.
But there have been times when I have also felt like those were events from "days gone by." I have longed for the return of the "Glory Days." I have thought that maybe it just wasn't my time. Maybe if I could just change somehow that God could bring back all of that excitement. "Maybe next year", I would tell myself, hoping that I could somehow stay encouraged. But for a long time it seemed that "next year" never came. Then I remembered something that shook me to my core. God has never left the "Glory Years!" He is still winning! He called me to be on his team but for some reason I flirted with the "other" team. I can't explain it but it was almost as if I was a player for the '95 Braves but I wanted to be with the Indians. We're winning the World Series but my wicked heart wanted to play for the opponent. When I realigned my heart, I saw that the "Glory Days" are here and now!
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever". Heb. 13:8
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge." Psalm 19:1-2
Struggling with defeat? God seem too far away?
Remember God has always been and will forever be in his "Glory Days." Turn your eyes to Jesus! Remember we win in the end and our victory is ultimate and everlasting!
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