Have you ever seen the Harlem Globetrotters?
One of our favorite things to do in high school was to see the Harlem Globetrotters play basketball. They covered the court as if they had wings on their feet. They could do more tricks and hi-jinks with a basketball, than I had ever seen then or since. Did you know the team was formed as the Chicago Globetrotters in the 1920’s as an entertainment for the Savoy Ballroom? In 1928 they changed their name to the New York Harlem Globetrotters, to give them more mystique. In 1940 they won the world professional Basketball Tournament. This was an African-American Basketball team, who drew crowds from all over, until the forming of the NBA in 1946, which stole some of their thunder. The first time they played in Harlem was 1948. Since their conception 109 years ago, they have played over 26,000 games in 122 countries and territories. What an influence they had and still have on the game of basketball!
Wouldn’t it have been amazing if they incorporated another message to go along with their basketball skills? Their impact on the world could have been even greater and longer lasting.
Well, last night I felt like a globetrotter as restless as I was in my bed! Sleep eluded me no matter how I tried to calm myself, nothing worked. It began with my nightly prayers, like always, lifting my loved ones up in prayer. Then people with special needs, like comfort, healing, guidance, and my church. But when I was finished, my mind decided not to turn off for the night. It tried to solve the problems of the world, starting with how the act of one or two people can have an effect on millions. Like gun violence, creating a faction who want to strip law-abiding citizens of their rights to bear arms, because someone decided to act irresponsibly. Blaming guns is the easiest way to solve the problem, leaving America defenseless against Isis, which is now established in all 50 states, doesn’t seem like the right solution to me right now. I couldn’t solve that one so my mind went on to another problem, then to another and another. Needless to say, I was not happy to see the sun this morning. My mind had traveled all over the country thinking of people, problems and how I would help if I could. I wish I had a tracking device in my mind, because I know I would have done the required 10,000 steps and beyond! With the dawning, an epiphany came to me, that is what my prayers are for, to let God handle the hard stuff! We are told to be a light in a world of darkness. To shine the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for all the world to see. In these days of mass media, that doesn’t sound like such and insurmountable task anymore.
Don’t be afraid to post your blessings and your concerns on your media, and see the response of love that will come your way. Paul wrote in the book of Romans: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. We can be a globetrotters from our living rooms. We can reach the four corners of the world, if we are brave enough not to be ashamed to state out faith for all the world to see and hear. And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. We can be the light of the world if we just share our faith with others. Together through our prayers, we can solve some of the world’s problems, because it starts with just one! Will you be a globetrotter for Christ?
As parents we need to teach our children to never be ashamed to believe in and have faith in God. If they are teased about their faith, show them in the scriptures how the disciples dealt with scoffers. Stay in the Word for your strength of faith and share it with your children. They can be a mini globetrotter in their own right.
We as authors have a far greater reach today than the authors of yesteryear, because of the mass media, and shopping on-line. Places you never heard of now has access to anything you have written. What an amazing opportunity to reach the world for good! What kind of globetrotter are you? Is there any substance of good in the things you are sending out into the universe? Could there be? Don’t miss the golden opportunity we have to shine a bright light in the world today for good, and do not be ashamed!
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mark 16:15-16
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:18-20