Everyone stared at me...

I remember the day like it was yesterday.  I sat down at my computer, pulled up Facebook, and started scrolling through my NewsFeed.  Then, I read something, stopped scrolling, and looked at the computer screen...with my mouth wide open in surprise! 

Here's the deal...I live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina...but I spent the first 28 years of my life in Tennessee.  I graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 2000.  I loved my years there, and one of my favorite things was attending sporting events with my friends and my parents.  I looked forward to going there with my husband once we were married, but pregnancy and other things hindered us from doing some things.  Then, we moved to South Carolina.  No complaints about living this close to the beach, but I knew that driving 10 hours for a sporting event was just not something that we would likely choose to do often, if at all.

Then, that day...that day when I was scrolling through Facebook, and saw a posting from TTU Sports.  "The Golden Eagles basketball team will be participating in a tournament.  The first game will be against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina."  REALLY?!  Immediately, I called my husband, telling him the wonderful news.  He started making plans for us to go...just the two of us.  The Golden Eagles and a "date" with my hubby...could it get any better?!?  I then commented on this Facebook post made my TTU Sports telling them how I was planning on going to the game.

I remember walking into the gymnasium...a sea of turquoise...the color of the Chanticleers...and I was wearing my PURPLE and GOLD.  Yeah...I stood out like a sore thumb...  My husband I sat down...right in the middle of all of the CCU fans...and soon, a man in a suit approached us.  He said, "Are you Hillary Gould?"  I said, "Yes, sir."  He was one of the directors of sports at TTU, and he'd seen my comment about being there, but was still very surprised that we did come out. 

I didn't hold back on my support for TTU, even though I was only one, besides the players
themselves wearing PURPLE and GOLD!  My husband even told some people that the only people wearing purple and gold were the players on the bench and me!  I yelled and cheered and screamed.  Eventually, the people around me realized that I was cheering when they were not...and they began turning and staring at me.  One man noticed my shirt, and then nodded and turned around.  Another man spoke up...he said, "You're cheering for the wrong team!"  I said, "No, sir.  I am the only one cheering for the right team!"  LOL!  I had a lot of fun that day...even though I was very "different" from everyone there, and EVERYONE noticed me by the end of the game...especially when TTU WON, and I had a little mini-party in the stands all by myself...cheering and screaming while standing on my feet!

I was remembering this event today, when God gave me a parallel that is much more important than a basketball game.  If you are the only one wearing "purple" in a sea of "turquoise," would you try to hide or display yourself for all to see?  Wearing "purple" meaning being a Christian...in a sea of non-Christians...our world today...  I had some "haters" around me, but I kept on cheering my team on.  Do I do this in real life when I have "haters" of the Gospel around me...do I keep on cheering about Jesus?  We are to be set apart...and people might stare at us...but we shouldn't hide or shirk away or be in fear because we are representing our team...we are representing our team leader...JESUS!

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