Only Believe

I follow several blogs and I am a reality TV junkie. After a while I started to wonder, "What is it that has me hooked to this stuff?" The answer is simple. I'm nosey. =) Just kidding. The real answer is I appreciate the opportunity to peer into others people's lives and witness their stories. It amazes me that there are people who are bold enough to share their stories with the rest of the world whether the stories are written or televised. That is a level of vulnerability I admire but as of yet have been unable to achieve. When I created this blog I intended for it to be a personal account of the life and times of me... myself... and yes, you guessed it, Jesus (yet another thing I have been unable to achieve). Once again Imma try harder to do better. There's no false advertisement today. This entry is really about Me, Myself, and Jesus. Now I'll tell yall like Erykah Badu told her audience, "Now keep in mind that I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shhh." =)
********************************************************************************************************                                                        
So once upon a time there was this boy. It was 10 years ago... I was a freshman in high school and he was a senior. I was in Fish Camp for marching band and he was my field officer. He was tall, light-skinned, and handsome; the stern but gentle leader of the low brass section. I had known him for years prior but this was different, this was high school. I just knew that being in marching band together would allow us to spend long days and nights together, practicing our music, sweating in the hot sun, getting to know each other better...  When the band director assigned us to stand next to each other on the field I thought that I would die from nervous excitement. He was so much more experienced and as he stood next to me I could hear his perfect tone as he played the music that he had already effortlessly memorized perfectly as he marched with his perfect posture and perfect toes. I felt so inferior as I stood next to him trying to match his tone while struggling to hold my sheet music that I had not yet memorized in one hand while moving my trombone slide with the other. He criticized me daily for not playing loud enough and not pointing my toes high enough and I worked everyday to be better. 


Then came our first game. I was beyond terrified standing there holding my trombone, praying that I would remember my notes, praying that I would remember my steps, and praying that I wouldn't fall. Then, out of no where he whispered, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'm right beside you." I felt a calmness sweep over me. That was all it took... I was in love. I failed to realize then that handsome senior men tend to have gorgeous senior girlfriends, therefore my crush remained exactly that- a crush.


**********************************************************************************************************
Okay, okay I admit it. Parts of that story may have been fantasized or romanticized but hey it was 10 years ago. I can barely remember 10 days ago, much less ten years... Anyway, imagine my surprise when sexy, single, Mr. Band Man walked into bible study this week. Suddenly I wished that it was not the day BEFORE my hair appointment and that I had not worn my nerdy glasses and carelessly thrown my hair into a ponytail. He waltzed in looking just as good as he used to in high school. He recognized me and came straight to me and shook my hand. We both said hello and commented on how it had been forever since we had seen each other and he went and sat directly across from me at the table. Everyone said their hellos at the table and eventually bible study began. We were a small little group of 5 but the discussion was powerful. I appreciated how everyone shared what part of the scripture stood out to them and discussed how it was relevant to their lives today. In that small group there were people of different ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, and religions but we were all there for the same reason- to study the Word of God. It reminded me of 1 Corinthians 12 where the Bible talks about the fact there are many parts but we all make up one body in Christ. This experience showed me that it doesn't matter what race you are or what religion you are, all of us are a part of the body of Christ and all of us have gifts, stories, and experiences that are relevant and that can be shared with others to upbuild the body of Christ. 
*************************************************************************
Now who's to say what, if anything, will happen between me and Mr. Band Man... I'm not even concerned. I appreciate the important lesson I learned though. No matter who you are or where you're from you will have something in common with millions of Christinas around the world if you do this one thing- only believe.