August 16, 2024 Thunderclap or Drizzle?
Friday, August 16, 2024
Is it a Thunderclap or a Drizzle?
for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
(2 Timothy 1:7, NRSVUE)
Pat Summit’s career began as a drizzle. When women’s college basketball was still in its infancy, she became a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee. They named her head coach of the Lady Vols when the previous coach suddenly quit. Summitt earned $250/month and washed the players’ uniforms – uniforms purchased the previous year with proceeds from a doughnut sale. She drove the van for road games, and her team once even had to sleep on the gym floor of their opponent the night before.
The following years, Summit’s career grew into a thunderclap. In 38 years as coach of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, she never missed the NCAA Tournament nor did she ever have a losing season. By retirement, Summit racked up 1,098 wins, the most in college basketball history. Her legacy mantra:
“It is what it is…But it will be what you make it!”
Jesus was a man of no rank and without means. His ministry began as a drizzle. Jesus lived in an irrelevant village off the main road as the son of a carpenter. Yet, his followers grew from an inconsequential band of 12 disciples into a thunderclap of over 2.38 billion people around the world today, all who practice some form of Christianity. No one could stop it, though many tried.
“We are primed to pay attention to things that happen in a thunderclap,” wrote philosopher and author Seth Godin. “But the events that change our culture often happen over time, distributed across parts of the population too small to notice.”
Thunderclaps of change in circumstances or culture often begin as drizzle. The challenge is not giving up when success (by our definition) is not initially realized; not to sacrifice God’s larger vision (the reconciliation of all people to Him) in a frenzied pursuit of the thunderclap.
Instead, drizzle on and persevere in the work to which God calls us because … it is what it is. And it will be what we [together with God] make it.
Be still and Reflect: How do you measure success in fulfilling your purpose? How is He calling you to think differently and measure the success of your calling?
Pray: Gracious God, who redeems every action or circumstance for Your loving purposes, grant me the strength and resilience to recognize Your drizzles of transformation amidst the thunderclaps of chaos. May I not be discouraged by the seeming insignificance of my efforts, but rather find courage in the knowledge that even the smallest drops can contribute to the mighty river of change when serving according to Your plan and purposes. I pray in the name of Jesus, Your Son and under whose Lordship I serve, Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria Ashby
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