“I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;
I will proclaim your greatness.
Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy about your righteousness.” Psalm 145

The picture says a lot, but it doesn’t say it all.
Tuesday night, our eldest son was elected President of SGA at Auburn University.
“Aren’t you proud?” people ask. Indeed.
And humbled. Deeply deeply humbled by God’s grace, by the bigger story that this story revealed.
But mostly awed.

I spent five days in Auburn being campaign mom (which mostly involved two well-honed motherly skills: cookie-baking and ‘just being there.’) Over that time, I observed refined teamwork worthy of a national championship of campaigns! I was awed by Kirby’s campaign team in many ways. Today I’ll write about three; tomorrow two more:

1. Focus: I was awed by the way they kept their focus. Before heading to callouts (where the results are announced), my son asked the team to gather together to pray. Before praying, he said, “Anna Lee and I said at the beginning of this campaign that we had one overarching goal, Colossians 3:23 (“Whatever you do, do your work heartily as unto the Lord, rather than for people.”) And that goal has been carried out.”

2. Unity: I was awed by the team unity. The candidate selects a top 5, but in Kirby’s case, it seemed like there might have been a top 50. Over the days, many people came and went wearing “Kirby Knows” shirts, all sacrificing and working hard for a story larger than their own. As the 15 or so leaders gathered in prayer, I thought of the rare and precious gift this group experienced: unity derived from a focus on something greater than themselves. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6)

3. Diversity and Sacrifice: I was awed by the diversity of giftedness in the many campaign workers:

• The campaign manager, a sharp, super-organized, very determined, and deeply compassionate young woman
• the “bodyguards,” the guys who escorted Kirby on the numerous campaign stops and got him out of the crowd
• the lovely and hospitable young women who could charm a snail into voting,
• his roommate who not only gave up his bedroom for debate prep but did it and many other supportive acts with a generous spirit
• the engineering and drill-equipped folks who built some 25 signs and the artistic types who painted them
• his sister who walked all over the campus handing out “Take 5’s,” and all of his siblings who sent him words or videos of support everyday
• the friend who called ‘just to pray’
• and last, but definitely not least, his girlfriend who did everything from baking cookies to passing them out on the concourse to picking up dry-cleaning, but most of all, who loved him well.

Think about it: what stories do you have of awe and gratitude for something God has done?