Sunday night, as my eyelids sank and my internal anti-sleep ninja kicked into high drive, I witnessed my Kansas City Royals win the 2015 World Series! It was a nail-biter with a late comeback that took the game into extra-innings. Anyone who watches baseball and knows the Royals, this is their M.O. It's what they do. They fall behind. They rally. They come back. Together.
In their second consecutive World Series appearance, this team came back better than ever. Last year's loss made them hungry. They craved a return performance. They yearned to win. And even though the sting of defeat was fresh, they weren't swayed or deterred. If anything, they were motivated and determined. And boy was it an awesome feat to witness.
As if that weren't enough. Our city SHUT DOWN to celebrate this momentous occasion. Schools were closed. Bosses afforded time off. Buses ran free. Shuttles transported fans. Prodigal sons and daughters returned home as quickly as they could, while excited residents walked miles to flood the streets in celebration of our Royals. Our city was transformed into a sea of blue, stretching as far as the naked eye could see. There were an estimated 800,000 people in these Kansas City streets with no incident, just an overwhelming atmosphere of pride and elation. The home team took the crown...and we all felt like royalty.
As I reflect on all that unraveled this season and its most desirable conclusion, I am reminded of what it means to be God's kid. There were lots of late-night baseball games. Fans were tired. Much like there are struggles that many of us have endured for months, years, even decades...we too are tired. But somehow, we are still standing. We are making it, even if we have no idea how. Some of us have been knocked down. Others of us have fallen down all on our own. But with God as our Father, we've gotten back up. We call our brothers and sisters. We spill our hearts to our Daddy. We rally as a godly family and no matter how far down we feel, we come back for the win.
For many of us, it's the sting of life's various defeats that motivate us to press forward. We remember how it felt to be without shelter, so we work two jobs to make the mortgage. We remember the struggle of unemployment, so we are early to work and stay late every day. We remember the disastrous relationships we barely escaped, so we choose to remain single until the RIGHT someone comes along, or we cherish the blessing of a mate that God has given us because we know what types of crazy are out there!
Phillippians 3: 14 says, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward..." When we fight this fight, when we run this race, with our eyes fixed on victory in the Spirit, we yearn to win. Triumph over the perils in this life will make us royal. We will be crowned in Heaven. The angels will sing and all will rejoice that we made it! So, as our city basks in a World Series win, we should all be looking forward to life's ultimate victory. Be Royal. Be Blessed. XOXO
