As believers, we have been entrusted with the truth of God’s holy word, and Paul tells us in Romans 10:14 that "before people can ask for help, they must believe in him and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them."
After watching a video, sometime back, where Third Day performed "Show Me Your Glory, " I began to wonder how different my turbulent days might be if I just whispered the words, "Show Me Your Glory." Since that time, the Lord has shown me the depths of His majestic beauty, grace and splendor in a big way. What a challenge to put down in words the extent of His Glory to share my story as Paul has instructed.
I think we can all agree that the summer has flown by like a jet airliner. Relaxing at my dining room table, drinking hot coconut coffee, I reflect on the summer. Summer brought many magical moments with family and friends, and I would like you to open up your souls and let the light shine in as I share these precious memories whereby God came down and shined His Glory on me. I will begin my recount of His Glory with an American summer pastime, baseball.
Early in the summer, we watched Austin and his team play baseball. They were one of the smallest teams in the league so I wasn’t expecting much, but they gave credence to the words “dynamite comes in small packages”. During a couple of games, they found themselves down by several runs, and then they would just fight their way back to overcome the other team. I cannot count the number of games they run-ruled their opponents. Whether the team was down or playing one of those run-away games, no ugliness shined on either side of the field. They went through the season undefeated and held onto that title as they finished in 1st place in the tournament. What a great end to Austin’s final year in the Lynnville Summer League.
I want to pause for a moment and mention that our time at the Summer League hasn’t always been one of great memories. I witnessed bad sportsmanship through the years, and we also had to say goodbye to one teammate in the summer of 2012 as God swept up his spirit in our backyard. Now, for some noteworthy facts about this 12U team:
- The team pitcher had the same number as the young boy from 2012, Number 7.
Austin was the only teammate still playing from his 8U baseball team.
The 12U baseball team chose to be the Braves; 8U team was also the Braves in 2012.
A boy on the team, playing organized ball for the first time reminded me of Austin’s teammate I watched four years ago. (similar looks, demeanor and drive)
The baseball season went down in history as one of the most joyful and peaceful in all the years I have watched my boys playing ball. You must know the Glory of God showed up in this summer league baseball team in a big way. A truth: God is omnipresent.
Continuing on into the summer, I took a trip with my sister-in-law to the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee, which included an unplanned detour into North Carolina. We visited Cumberland Falls on day one, and then we travelled into the Smokey Mountains the next day, visiting Clingmans Dome. The majestic beauty of the mountains always leaves me standing in awe of His Glory. Since we were less than two hours away from our property in North Carolina, we travelled down to the land later that afternoon. We were greeted by a startling surprise; a screeching owl flew out of the tall grass at the top of the drive, leaving behind human screams. Thank God it wasn’t a bear! Once our hearts returned to a normal beat, we enjoyed a picnic in the quiet of the mountains. As I listen to the sounds of the forest, a great sense of peace settles upon me, and oh how I wish I could bottle it for later times.
The next day included a strenuous venture to the Ramsey Cascade Waterfall in the Smokey Mountains. The path was long and treacherous, much like life, and at one point the sky turned black, thunder rolled and a few drops of rain fell to the ground. No matter the weather, there was no turning back at that point because I had already travelled three of the four miles. As I approached the end of the trail, a spectacular view of the cascading waterfall became my reward, worth every ounce of the strain and pain. As I sat on a huge boulder, admiring its spectacular beauty, the sky opened up and the sun shone from behind the clouds as God revealed the full extent of His Glory. A truth: God will show up in his timing.
So if you find yourself searching for something more or dreading another season of life, ask God to shine down His Glory. If you enjoyed The Glory-Part I, join me for The Glory-Part II (yet to be written). Part II will share some God-given moments experienced with my sons and spectacular memories of our 10-day summer vacation , and who knows you may learn of some places you would like to visit someday.