Something to Shout About
Forgive me as I take off on a tangent today. We lived in Tulsa, OK for forty-plus years and we were avid fans of OU — Oklahoma University’s sports teams. We always rooted for them. On the other hand, my brother-in-law who attended Oklahoma State University, with his children, were huge OSU fans. We were friendly rivals when we would have OU vs OSU parties at our home.
So of course when I see this good news about a win for OU, I am taking it to the streets, rather to social media today. Thanks to Dr. Jim Denison’s article, I was proud to hear that the University of Oklahoma women’s softball team made history on June 8th when it became only the second team to win three national titles in a row.
But, more than the win, I was most thrilled to hear about the faith of their head coach, Patty Gasso. I am posting this blog because we get so wrapped up and tied up in what’s wrong in our world, that we fail to speak up – loud, proud, and unashamedly – about the GOOD NEWS that is happening in our world.
Read on, please, and see the goodness of God as explained by Coach Patty. The Lord told her several years ago, “You’re not here to win games. You’re here to open the door — here to win souls.” Now God is honoring her Christian commitment to the Great Commission in remarkable ways.
Team captain Grace Lyons was asked by an ESPN reporter how she and her teammates handle the pressure of their competition and maintain their joy. The reporter might not have expected her answer: “The only way that you can have a joy that doesn’t fade away is from the Lord. Any other type of joy is actually happiness that comes from circumstances and outcomes.”
Lyons’ teammate Jayda Coleman shared how, after winning the Women’s College World Series her freshman year, she was happy but didn’t feel joy: “I didn’t know what to do the next day. I didn’t know what to do that following week. I didn’t feel fulfilled, and I had to find Christ.”
She continued: “I think what makes our team so strong is that we’re not afraid to lose because it’s not the end of the world if we do lose. Obviously we’ve worked our butts off to be here and we want to win, but it’s not the end of the world because our life is in Christ and that’s all that matters.”
And, therein lies the remedy to what irks us about Gay Pride month and any other “proud about whatever is anyone’s bent”. Those OU women took pride in what matters most. They were so loud and proud about their Savior Who changes everything about their lives.
As Dr. Jim Denison says, “Jayda Coleman’s worldview is crucial not only for her and her teammates but for the future of our society.”
Those women are modelling the grace of Christ in our broken world. Shouldn’t we be as verbal about being proud about our Savior as others are proud about their “pride”. We are blessed to be Christians Who bear the resemblance of our Savior Who loved the unlovely, healed the broken and hurting, walked the walk and talked the talk of His Father.
Shouldn’t we pick up the baton of our forefathers (and those OU bold and brave women) and declare the Good News of the Gospel that changes us into God’s royal family members – filled with PRIDE for our Savior and Lord!