What are you Wearing?!?!
ever have that moment when someone looks you up and down, then looks at you sideways and asks “What are you wearing?'“
some of you think this is about to be a discussion on our recent uniform debacle, but nope! I’ll leave that one alone!
We’ve been talking as a club about what it looks like to be a culture of honor, and how to foster it as the most important characteristic that shows who we are. Part of that discussion has been defining how to wear ‘the ring and the robe’, and wear them well.
the best example of this comes out of the biblical story of the prodigal son. After squandering his inheritance living large and loose, he comes crawling back home, hoping to secure a job as a servant on his family’s estate. but, to his surprise, his father welcomes him back, reinstating him as an heir, and dressing him in the family(father’s) robe and ring. the robe is meant to represent the righteous robe that our own heavenly father dotes on us as his children, and the ring represents His authority! the ring was the way a kings would authorize their decrees, and authenticate their orders. any order stamped by the ring came with the full power and authority of the one sending it, and we hold the authority of heaven in ours!
So, volleyball… what the heck does this have to do with a volleyball club?!?!
We recently had a skills clinic where many of our athletes from different ages showed up to get instruction on hitting. there was one point during this clinic where one of our 16-1 team players came alive! she began encouraging each and every hitter as they took their turn in line, and the whole gym was filled with her encouragement. She was asking everyone’s name, and cheering for them accordingly. then the rest of the gym followed suit! it changed the whole room! One of the younger girls told my daughter that, rather than how she has felt judged in other volleyball environments, she felt it is different here, like everyone wants her to succeed. Now THAT is how we wear the ring and the robe well, and create an atmosphere that honors the lord and each other. I was so proud of our girls!
So, we’ve begun giving honor back when we see a “ring and Robe” moment. I truly hope it becomes our club nomenclature to declare out loud when we recognize the ring and the robe. If we can get this right, we will always look like we are wearing the right thing!