Shadow Warriors: The Faithful

Shadow Warriors

Life is filled with people who stand in the shadows and accomplish great deeds of courage. It has been my pleasure to benefit from so many of these people. These sons and daughters of encouragement who through their persistent acts of tear filled courage stand as examples to the rest of us about the need for commitment.

There is my secretary, Wanda. She is west Texas strong from the old pioneer stock. Her husband Jack struggles with reality as Alzheimer’s claims more and more of his memory. Through his fog he knows that Wanda will be there. She has stayed true to her commitment of “until death we do part” made many years ago. It cost her physically and emotionally and pushes her to lean on her spiritual strength to help her and Jack make it through this night. Through it all she stand firm in her faith, teaches it to her 3-5 grade Sunday school class, and gives her grandkids an example of faithfulness.

There is my good friend, Alecia. Although she uses a walker to get around I wouldn’t ask Walker Texas Ranger to mess with her. She is a prayer warrior, one who doesn’t just say she’ll pray about it, she writes it down and does it till you get an answer. In the middle of all this her son, Tony, has been in a struggle with his health for years. Many times we thought he was going to his true home in Heaven only to have God say “not yet, my boy”. He carries on the family tradition often to the detriment of his own health as he listens and prays for others. Alecia could have let go a long time ago but she has remained faithful to her calling as a mother and prayer warrior. Many barriers have been broken, many schemes have been stopped. Yet, her humility shine through as she gives glory to God for his goodness, mercy and grace.

Two unknowns, unseen, not touched by the world's spotlight, they give of themselves each day. Pray for them. Pray for the many that are like them. They don’t need our pity, they need our praise.

So I took my son to see the Rangers play on Sunday. There in lies the lesson.

After listening to the early week games in Tampa Bay we were both excited to see them play at home. Saturday’s game was less than spectacular. They could of won something in front of the home crowd but they chose to lay on the ground and loose, I guess it was all the Tropicana juice or maybe jet lag. Anyway, Saturday’s loss opened up to Sundays perceived day of Salvation, we could watch them go further than they had ever gone before along with 1 Billion other screaming slightly stinky fans sitting moist knee to moist knee above the clouds in the supposed “cheap seats”. We were going to see History we thought.

We knew it was going to be chaos because dad works for a boss that doesn’t let him off early on Lord’s Supper Sunday so Dad is tied up past the Star Spangled Banner. We get over there OK but there is no parking anywhere because some Evil imp from Hades has scheduled Jerry’s boys on the same day as the Ranger’s playoff game. For some unknown reason Arlington actually thought Jerry would live up to his word about funneling money for traffic issues. We had to dodge our way around soused up Yee Haw boys and girls who were stumbling down the roads to watch Deputy Dog and his boys try again to beat someone. Finally we get a parking place behind a warehouse that reminded me to lock my door and look out for Tony Soprano and his boys. We get to the game in the 5th inning, the 5th! I am Ok, Caleb is Ok. We think that the last part of the game will prove the Rangers want to win it for Nolan who spent everything to own them this year.

What we found from the 5th inning on is a team that just gave up. They should have been singing “Take me back to Tampa, I’m to messed up to win this thing”. Poor Ranger fans with our white swinging towels. Come on guys, Pop Fly’s in the majors…at a playoff game….I paid how much to watch this? Well we at least had a good nacho experience and Rangers Ball park had the good sense to stock Coke Zero.

Speaking of Zero, that is what their performance was like. My opinion is that they should have been outside the ball park crying on their knees asking us to forgive them. I know that some of you guys who color coordinate with the “jersey of the day” are going to think I am nuts and that is fine. It is for all of us I plead. The Ranger fan has waited eons for them to get to this point. We have endured seasons where all we had was Nolan’s style and a good Kenny Rogers brawl with a reporter. The fans have bought a bountiful supply of those t-shirts so that they can have a man’s fist in the middle of their chest and a deer on their back. Just a little clue guys, don’t go to SE Texas with those on unless you want to be stuffed and mounted. We have embraced them and can’t wait for them to win. I would settle for them just to wake up before they end up sitting home watching the Yankees win yet another world series….I dislike profusely the Yankees. Mom said we can only hate the Devil and since he owns the Cowboys and not the Yankees…we’ll you get the picture.

Then of course my preacher/pastor side kicks. I always know when that happens because organ music plays and I hear a choir slowly hum. A glow comes out of the sky and hits my face as I hear God’s voice tell me what I should take away from this experience. By the way, God sounds like Jimmy Stewart to me. God opened up something to me from this experience and since Ron Washington won’t be giving me a refund let me at least get some value for my bloggie. The Bible says….Heb 12:1 Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us,
I just wonder how many times that crowd of witnesses feels let down by the “game” I have played before them? How many times to they feel that I gave less than my all? How many times have I forgotten to hear their cheers and encouragement and dropped a ball or swung on a ball? Maybe I should think a little more about the home team, what they gave up for me, the hours they put into lessons that shaped my character. They taught me not to rely on myself and realize that to win this game I have to know that with his power I can do anything. I need to remember my “Fan Cloud” as they do a Holy Spirit wave and realize I have a better game in me and it’s time to give it my all for the home team.

Ok, so since I got that lesson to communicate to you I can now write off my game and snack cost as a business expense. Something tells me Ms. Wanda will say “NO!”