Glory Days

Glory Days:

Bruce Springsteen, aka “The Boss,” hit #5 on the Billboard charts back in ‘85 (yes I’m that old) with his song “Glory Days.” In each of the first three verses the story talk about a person from the singer’s past who reflects back on how good things once were.

The first is the high school ball player who remembers his “Glory Days” as the team’s ace pitcher; now he is a washed up drunk perpetually hanging out at the local bar.

The second is the high school stunner who “could turn all the boys heads;” she’s now divorced and realizes her flower has faded and fallen. She and the singer sit together at the bar thinking back to the “Glory Days” long since passed.

The third is the old factory worker who was let go from his job of 20 years. Now the singer says he knows what’s on the old man’s mind as he just sits and drinks at the bar… “Glory Days.”

In the fourth, and final, verse the singer is talking about “going down to the well (bar) tonight, and I’m gonna drink ‘til I get my fill…” He hopes to not get drunk, but realizes he “probably will.”

The inherent tragedy of the song is that the singer hopes he doesn’t eventually “fall” into the dire straits these other sad souls have fallen into - people just sitting around.... getting drunk…  holding on to fleeting memories of times long gone… memories that weren’t that wonderful to begin with. Sadly, the singer doesn’t realize he is already there. His life no longer has any purpose or goal other than to fade out and go quietly into that good night reminiscing about “glory days” that never were.

The same is true of many Christians. We live a cracked rear view mirror existence this side of redemption. We often tend to look back at our water baptism and the fiery passion we once had for Christ.  We look back at a mission trip we participated in that brought souls into the kingdom…  we hold onto the fleeting memory of a season of ministry where the leaders of the church backed us like the star ball player on the championship team…

Then the wilderness came…  and like the sad character from Springsteen’s song - we accept it as the final chapter in our story for God.  Crawling up on the bar stool of life week-in and week-out…  fading out…  going quietly, pathetically, pitifully, woefully, feebly into Christian retirement… reminiscing about “Glory Days.”

Sadly, we frequently look back on the season of God’s blessing and “grassy pastures” as the fullness of expectation demanded from God Almighty; and in juvenile fashion castigate our LORD when the REAL season of blessing always comes... in the wilderness journey.

“Glory Days” is the sum of all human philosophy and religions. A human existence gloomily adrift on the barren landscape of a life bereft of any real hope or joy - painfully scratching and clawing at experiences to suck one more drop of placebo effect before the end…

That is NOT NOT NOT our lot as sons and daughters of the Sovereign of the Universe! As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Thankfully, there is no retirement for Christians and no need to ever look behind at some synthetically contrived version of life wrongly perceived as “Glory Days.” If you’re still alive then God is either waiting for you to surrender you life to Him, or He still has ministry work for you.

Look ahead toward the real "Glory Days!" - to the prize that is our eternal life with our Savior, God Himself, Jesus Christ! Then do something with your salvation to fulfil His mission until He returns.

Blessings,

-Kevin