His appearance on the court elicited wild applause. Then he scored – twice. The crowd cheered wildly both times. Definitely a moment of glory. What are you thinking at this point? NBA finals? NCAA championship game? High School basketball finals? The answer – none of the above. This scene did take place in a high school gym, but it wasn’t a championship game or even a regular season high school basketball game. It was a school pep rally held during the school day, featuring events for student entertainment such as a faculty/student basketball scrimmage. So who was receiving all this applause and recognition? Some celebrity basketball star? Let me tell you about him . . .

He’s tall. Even at seventy years young, he still stands tall. I’m talking about a work colleague of mine, a fellow substitute teacher at the high school where I work. Based on this one fact, his height, you might surmise that he had been a star basketball player in his day. However, he had not played beyond his middle school years. He had never experienced moments of glory on the court, even though this is a common dream for many young men growing up in this culture that lives and breathes basketball. This dream, however, never became reality for my colleague. That is until last week’s pep rally.

We all want one – a moment of glory. We may even spend our lives pursuing things that we believe will lead us to our moment of glory only to find ourselves disappointed when our efforts don’t lead us to that magic moment of success, recognition and applause. Or perhaps our moment of glory comes early in life, leaving us wondering if that’s it or is there yet another moment of glory waiting somewhere for us in the future?

So how did this youthful dream become reality for my colleague and deliver to him his long awaited moment of glory on the court, years after his days on the basketball court had seemingly come to an end? Well, as I said, we work at a high school – a high school known for its history of basketball tradition. We were state champs last year and runner up in the final game of the state championships this year. We were state champs in 1955, 56 and 59 and in 2017. We take our basketball seriously. The students my colleague played against at this school pep rally were this year’s runners up to the state champs. And his teammates, our coaches and faculty, are younger, stronger and quicker players than my colleague.

And yet, he stepped onto the court to a hero’s welcome and scored two baskets! Against all odds my colleague experienced his moment of glory. And there’s a backstory to this story. My fellow sub almost didn’t make it to the gym at all. He was assigned to a classroom upstairs during the time this pep rally was taking place in the gym. (not all students could attend, some remained in the classrooms and teachers were needed to cover those classrooms) I was summoned to cover his classroom, but I couldn’t leave the classroom I was in until my replacement arrived.

The clock was ticking. The pep rally had started. I was stuck in my classroom waiting for someone to come so that I could go to his room and he could go to the gym. At least thirty minutes or more went by before I was able to get to his classroom. At that point he thought he had probably missed his opportunity to play, BUT – neither of us knew the order of events for today’s program. Perhaps the men’s basketball scrimmage was at the end of the rally’s scheduled events. I urged him to go to the gym quickly, holding out hope that he might still get to participate in today’s basketball game.

Why was his opportunity to participate so important to me? Earlier in the school day, during homeroom/club period, he had been the speaker who addressed the students in the classroom where I was. One of the things he shared with them was how he had participated in this event last year and that he was looking forward to doing so again later on in the day. He had actually scored one basket last year, he told the students, and I could tell that had meant a lot to him – a treasured memory for him – a moment of glory that he was no doubt hoping to repeat this year.

I wanted him to have that chance for another moment of glory on the court. That’s why it was important to me to get to his classroom and send him on to the gym. I didn’t know the outcome though, until I saw him after school. He was beaming! He told me he had made it to the gym in time to play and that he had scored not one, but two baskets! And received ample applause as well. I was so happy for him. I told him next year he would score three baskets. Always good to have something to look forward to, right?

In life, we never know when our “moment of glory” will come. But we dare not quit. If we quit, our moment of glory will never come. We have to keep on showing up. In Galatians we are told –

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

In this world, some of us experience more “moments of glory” than others. BUT – in God’s coming kingdom, we have many such moments to look forward to. Paul told Timothy,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2Timothy 4:7-8)

Receiving the crown of righteousness – that’s a “moment of glory” worth waiting for. You and I have lots of “moments of glory” ahead of us in heaven. Starting with this promise –

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” (1Corinthians 13:12)

That is definitely going to be a treasured “moment of glory.” Hang in there, dear readers. Your “moment of glory” awaits!

sincerely, Grace Day