The Jersey I Want To Wear This Sunday

On a weekend that will unquestionably be marked by Peyton Manning and Marshawn Lynch jerseys, football heroes in the Super Bowl, MVP’s, fancy commercials that cost millions, and crazy halftime performances, I write to introduce you to a new kind of Hero.

And it could not be more fitting or ironic that as I am mapping out weeks worth of hard-hitting growth strategy content for industry, that this particular blog post highlights a different kind of lesson in growth.  The kind of life-changing personal growth that can only happen through deepening faith, prayer and trust in God’s remarkable plan for our lives.

Born on January 7th in Florida to birth mom Michele, my wife (Lauri) and I welcomed home our newly adopted and precious daughter, Lily Annalise, this weekend.  My oldest daughter, two sons, and I could not be more thrilled that Lauri and Lily made it home after an extra 2 weeks stay in special care, followed by 2 more weeks of hotel-hopping and FedEx delays through a rare snowstorm in Atlanta, GA!

Nobody exhibited deeper faith or trust in God’s path than Lily’s two moms, one who was strong enough to let go, and another who was strong enough to catch.  And wow – did God provide the strength.  This is a new kind of hero.  A hero driven to know God, to grow close to God and impact this world for God.  Lauri is my hero – she not only showed me what deep faith looks like, but also redefined for me the ultimate starting point for which all growth happens.

Lauri prayed circles for 3 years while fighting the uphill battle, dodging obstacles, and finding a way to keep going when it seemed as if all doors were closed on adoption.  Like Peter stepping outside the boat, surrounded by crashing waves, she kept her eyes on Jesus, and wow – did God ever show up when we never thought he would!

Searching for words to capture all of the emotions we feel having reached this moment is a tall order.  Who knew that it could all be bottled up in a song, appropriately named Heroes (listen here), off the latest album release from Casting Crowns (below is an excerpt).

These are the heroes, just ordinary people
Laying down their lives like angels in disguise
They’re weak but always willing
They dare to do the hard things
And in the dark and desperate places no one else goes
You’ll find the heroes
You’ll find the heroes

You may never know their names
But they’re moving mountains just the same
Instead of searching for the spotlight
They’ll follow Jesus into the darkest night
Heroes, these are the heroes

Now that is the jersey I want to wear this Sunday.