I graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1982. One of my best friends from High School also went there. He was a Criminal Justice Major, and I a History Major. We always wanted to take a class together, but it never worked out. Until our Sr. year and final quarter before graduation. I needed an elective class and Gary was taking a class he said I could get in to. It didn’t matter to me, so I signed up. It was a class on abnormal Psychology. I had no business being there because this was a graduate level class and the total of my training had been Intro to Phsyc.101 as a freshman. For 5 weeks I was totally lost and was starting to become concerned because I had to pass this class in order to graduate. Then my opportunity came. 60% of our final grade came from writing a paper based on a case study of any theory that had been discussed. I really only understood one: BIRG - which stands for Basking in Reflected Glory. Simply put this is when someone takes pride & glory for another individual’s or group’s achievement in which they had absolutely no hand in. My paper was about my boss at the time. He always spoke of his alma matter, Elder HS, and how exciting it was to play at “the Pit”. I figured he must have been on the basketball team, but in reality, he was playing the clarinet in the band!
I've shared this story before, but it's a great reminder that we are commanded to bask in the reflected glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ! In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This is how we are supposed to live. Amen?
