Our Boys Will Shine

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on faith from a place of winter for those in their winter years…


In a recent edition of the church newsletter he edits, old high-school friend Don Survant commented on “ear-worms,” those songs that get into your head and just won’t get out. I knew that Don and I had bonded especially well when we were young, but I had no idea that 50 years later, we would both have “Hot Time in the Old Town” tonight worming into our ears at the same time.

Don noted that his old-age ear-worms are usually songs he hasn’t thought of for a long time. Before “Hot Time,” he’d been humming “Waltzing Matilda” for weeks.

The same thing happens to me. Out of nowhere this morning came this song we used to sing at pep rallies before football and basketball games: “Our boys will shine tonight, our boys will shine. Our boys will shine tonight, our boys will shine. Our boys will shine tonight, our boys will shine. When the sun goes down and the moon comes up, our boys will shine.’

As befits a pep rally, it’s a peppy tune, and really hard to get out of my ears. I don’t mind, though, because it brings back lots of good memories, memories of belonging. It was my school, my class. These were our boys. Sometimes I was even one of those boys, longing to shine, to make my friends proud. I belonged.

That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it, this life? Belonging to someone special. Belonging to a family. Belonging to a team, a school, a church, a nation. I have been blessed with all of those.

The problem is when we stop too soon, stop at family or nation, and don’t go on to the greater belonging, belonging to it all, in fullness, belonging to the world, belonging to God, when we settle for a just a touchdown when we could be part of the victory, settle for only a song when we could be a part of the music.

Some day we’ll no longer belong to that special someone, to the family, the team, the nation. It will be time to belong to God alone. Now is the time to get ready for belonging to God by being a contributor to the world’s team, not just a taker. Now is the time to shine.

May the peace of Christ be with you,
JRMcF