A Day in the Sun

2005-08-07

When I was in the fifth grade, there was a boy in my science class who was considered a ‘bully.’ One day I had a confrontation with him, and frankly, I do not recall the details. But I remember I was very upset. What I do remember is my teacher pulling me aside and she gently talked with me. The only thing I remember her saying is “you’re going to be a lot more successful than him anyway.”

Now again as a high school freshman, I had trained as a competitive swimmer all year with considerable effort. Yet at the close of the championship meet, I found myself no faster than I was all year. After a big race, I saw my stern coach soften and he said to me, “Don’t worry, you’ll see your day in the sun.”

These memorable statements resonated beautifully and prophetically within my soul. Even though I faced disappointment in life, I still cling to these words as sacred treasures. Years later, now being saved by the blood of a gracious Savior, these words are even more sacred. I am not perched high on top of a mound of moneybags, but such is not success. Neither was I a swimming hero, but this is not what it is like to be in the sun. Every day that I have a new encounter with the Lord Jesus, this is a basking-in-the-sun moment. And in the end I will not be measured by what I have done, but by what He has done in me and through me, and He does not fail - a relief indeed. If you’re willing to walk with God, stand up and let Him examine, equip, and use you. Now is the time. And the salt shall not lose its savor, and the lamp will no longer be hidden.