Reflections on a Decade

I really don't know what to think about the turn of a new decade. On one hand I feel like the 2000s are still a new concept, yet on the other hand the '90s seem like eons ago.

It was the decade when I wore sweatpants to school every day because I despised jeans, when I turned double digits, when I tried to lead a class movement where everyone would wear non-logo clothing on the same day to appease the teacher (some call me a suck up, I say an early leader), when I traveled to Denmark and spent Christmas in Australia, when I attended my first Final Four, when Maggie died and Sydney was just a pup, when I rode my bike to school every day even in the snow, when I woke up early for drum line practice and then walked across the street to Dad's practice in the middle of the afternoon after a Hershey's bar and Coke in Mom's office, and when we all made time capsules for the new millennium and wondered if Y2K would end society as we knew it.

Has it really only been 10 years? I feel like I need to preface each of those stories with, "When I was a boy..." The kids I'm coaching and recruiting now were born in the '90s. I feel like '90s nights should soon replace '80s theme parties.

Has so much really happened in 10 years? I feel like the current season in my life (in Indiana) has lasted 10 years, but it was this decade when I suited up for my first high school basketball game and was proud to walk the halls in a purple and gold jump suit. It was this decade when I got my driver's license, my first car and my first parking space at school. It was this decade when I graduated high school and was offered the chance to play college basketball. It was this decade when I moved away from home to Indiana. It was this decade when I mocked the college students who came to our high school to share Jesus with us kids. The same decade I genuinely committed my heart to Christ. It was this decade when I graduated college and completed my master's degree. In fact, the entirety of my secondary, higher and post-graduate education was completed in this decade.

All of that really happened in this decade? Wow, what a decade! I wonder what the next will hold...

Man in the Glass

The Man In The Glass
Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr.

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please – never mind all the rest
For he’s with you, clear to the end
And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

Think back to the last time you looked in the mirror. Why did you do it? What did you look at? What were your thoughts?

Did you match? Was your tie straight? Was your shirt tucked in all the way around? Was your collar down and your socks the same color? Did you forget your belt? Did that outfit make you look fat or did it highlight your figure? Was your hair styled appropriately? Were your teeth clean? Did you have lipstick on them or food in between them? Was your makeup just how you wanted it? Is that pimple going away or just getting bigger? Is there any way to cover up that acne? Maybe it doesn't look too bad...oh, who am I kidding, I'm disgusting. Is that a chest hair?

I'll be completely honest, I don't look in the mirror very often because frankly, physical appearance is not high on my priority list, but when I do it usually pertains to a subject along these lines.

After reading this poem I asked myself, "When is the last time you looked into your own eyes?" Sometimes we get so caught up in our appearance and if we will be accepted by the ones we are about to encounter that we diminsh the opinion of the one who really matters, the one we have to live with every day and attempt to sleep easy with every night.

When is the last time you looked into your own eyes and judged your own integrity? Is the person you are looking at the same person that will engage with the world in a few hours? Jesus told us that the eye is the lamp of the body. It will reveal who you really are.

Next time you're standing in front of a mirror look into your eyes. What color are they? How often do you blink? How big are your pupils?

Can you do it? Can you look at yourself - your eyes, into your own heart - in the mirror?