Celebrating the glory days while giving all the glory to God.
There’s something about the sound of a drumline that takes me right back.
It doesn’t matter how many years have passed. When I hear that familiar cadence, I can almost feel the baton in my hands, the excitement of stepping onto the football field, and the anticipation of performing a routine I’d practiced over and over again.
But if I’m being completely transparent, it’s not just the atmosphere I miss.
I miss twirling.
I miss being the one performing. I miss the feeling of executing a difficult trick, the satisfaction of catching a toss I’d worked so hard to perfect, and the opportunity to share something I loved with the people watching from the stands.
And while I’m incredibly grateful for the life God has given me today, there’s still a part of me that wishes I could experience those moments again.
I’ve learned, though, that there’s a difference between loving your past and living in it.
And sometimes, understanding that difference takes a little time, a lot of perspective, and a deeper appreciation for God’s goodness.
When You Don’t Realize You’re Living in the Glory Days
When I was a majorette, twirling was simply part of my everyday life.
There were practices to attend, routines to learn, tricks to perfect, and performances to prepare for. I spent countless hours working on something I absolutely loved.
And while I knew my ability to twirl was a gift from God, I don’t think I fully appreciated what that meant.
I knew I was blessed. I knew not everyone had the same opportunities. But I also took for granted that there would always be another practice, another performance, another opportunity to walk onto the field with a baton in my hand.
Until eventually, there wasn’t.
That’s the funny thing about certain seasons of life. We don’t always recognize how special they are while we’re living them.
Sometimes, it’s only when we look back that we realize just how extraordinary those seemingly ordinary moments really were.
I wish I could go back and appreciate some of those opportunities with the perspective I have today.
Not because I didn’t love them then. Believe me, I did.
But because I understand so much more now about the goodness of the God who gave them to me.
It’s Okay to Miss Something God Allowed You to Love
I think sometimes we put unnecessary pressure on ourselves to move on from the things we miss.
We tell ourselves that we should be over it by now. That those days are behind us. That we should focus on the present instead of looking back.
And while there’s certainly wisdom in not allowing the past to consume us, I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with remembering a season God used to bring us joy.
Missing something doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful for what you have now.
I can be thankful for my current season of life and still miss performing.
I can recognize that God has given me new opportunities and still wish I could step onto the football field one more time.
Those feelings don’t have to contradict each other.
In fact, I think remembering the things we loved can become an opportunity to praise God for allowing us to experience them in the first place.
The problem isn’t remembering the glory days.
The problem comes when we become so focused on what God did yesterday that we fail to recognize what He’s doing today.
God Was Good Then, and He’s Still Good Now
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate more deeply as I’ve gotten older is that God’s goodness isn’t limited to a particular season of life.
He was good when I was performing.
He was good when I was practicing for hours, celebrating a no-drop show, or walking onto the field for a performance.
And He’s still good today.
Even though my life looks different.
Even though my role has changed.
Even though some of the things I once loved doing are now things I get to watch someone else experience.
Philippians 3:13–14 reminds us of the importance of looking forward and pressing toward what lies ahead:
“…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal…” (NKJV).
I don’t believe that means we have to erase the past or pretend it didn’t matter.
Rather, it’s a reminder that our lives aren’t meant to stop moving forward simply because a beautiful chapter has ended.
God is still writing our stories.
And just because the next chapter looks different doesn’t mean it can’t be filled with His goodness, too.
Sometimes God Gives Our Gifts a New Purpose
I still pick up a baton. I still choreograph routines. I still get to spend time doing something I’ve loved for most of my life.
These days, though, I’m a majorette instructor.
Instead of preparing myself to take the field, I’m helping another generation of girls prepare for their moment.
And I absolutely love that.
I love creating routines and watching them come together. I love teaching skills that once challenged me. I love seeing a girl finally accomplish something she’s been working so hard to master.
Most of all, I love passing along my love of twirling to another generation.
That doesn’t mean I never wish I were the one performing.
I do.
But it has helped me recognize something I might not have understood when I was younger.
God didn’t give me a love for twirling that could only be used during a few years of my life.
He gave me a gift that I can continue to use, even though the way I use it has changed.
First Peter 4:10 reminds believers to use the gifts they’ve received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace:
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another…” (NKJV).
When I think about that verse, I can’t help but think about the opportunities God has given me through coaching.
The same passion that once motivated me to practice for hours now motivates me to teach, encourage, and challenge the girls entrusted to me.
And maybe that’s one of the most beautiful things about God’s gifts.
Sometimes He allows us to use them in ways we never imagined when we first received them.
Your Next Chapter Doesn’t Have to Look Like Your Last
Maybe you’ve never twirled a baton.
Maybe your glory days looked completely different from mine.
Maybe you were an athlete, a dancer, a musician, or someone who poured your heart into a particular season of life.
Or maybe what you miss isn’t an activity at all.
Maybe it’s a season when your children were little, a job you loved, a friendship, or an opportunity that has come and gone.
Whatever it is, I want to encourage you with something I’ve been learning myself.
You don’t have to stop loving what God gave you yesterday to appreciate what He’s giving you today.
You can treasure the memories.
You can miss the experiences.
You can even wish, every now and then, that you could go back for just one more moment.
But don’t let your love for the past convince you that God’s best work in your life is finished.
There are still people to encourage.
There are still opportunities to serve.
There are still gifts to use for His glory.
And there are still moments ahead that you haven’t even imagined yet.
They may not look like the ones you remember so fondly.
But that doesn’t make them any less meaningful.
Celebrating the Glory Days While Giving All the Glory to God
I still miss performing.
I probably always will.
There’s something about stepping onto a football field with a baton in my hand that I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving.
But these days, I get to experience a different kind of joy.
I get to pass along my love of twirling to another generation. I get to teach girls the skills I once spent countless hours practicing. I get to choreograph routines and watch them take the field, knowing that a little piece of my passion is being carried forward through them.
And while I can’t go back and relive every moment of my majorette years, I can choose to be more intentional about appreciating the opportunities God has placed in front of me now.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that I don’t want to look back on this season someday and realize I took it for granted, too.
I want to recognize God’s goodness while I’m living it.
I want to use the gifts He’s given me faithfully.
And I want to remember that every season, whether I’m the one performing or the one cheering from the sidelines, is another opportunity to bring Him glory.
So yes, I’ll always love my glory days.
I’ll always smile when I hear a drumline.
And I’ll probably always wish I could take the field just one more time.
But I don’t want to become so busy wishing for yesterday that I miss what God has for me today.
Because the glory days may be behind us, but God’s glory never is.
Is there a season of your life you still miss, even though you’re grateful for where God has you today? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
And if you’re a former majorette who still gets butterflies when you hear a drumline, I have a feeling you’ll enjoy reading Things Only Former Majorettes Understand, too.
