Speaking in the Light — Baby, You’re a Firework

This week while I am in the Dominican Republic on a Missions Trip, I thought I would turn over my column to Miss June Camizzi, a Middle School music teacher at Middle Township and a remarkably gifted young woman who just happened to have been born on the 4th of July!
I believe that there is nothing more enlightening to the soul than when one realizes that even though this world is filled with zillions of people, God has a way of highlighting each and every human story to make our union with Him like no other. God literally shines His adoring spotlight — or in June’s case — heavenly fireworks, to establish the unique relationship that He longs to have with each and every one of us.
I know that if we would all just be a little more aware of our surrounding scenery, we would notice more that it really is there to affirm His love for us and confirm to us that we are not accidents or coincidences or victims of circumstance.
I want to thank June for taking the time to record this modern day bit of revelation of how God has unveiled to her a clear reality of what those of us who already know Miss Camizzi are fully aware of, and that is Junie is a one of a kind-very special young lady and anyone who has had the privilege to have had her as a part of their lives know the experience of a regular 4th of July every single day of the year.
June is a daily burst of God’s vibrant color and His amazing design. So here is a story of God’s living love letter to her that happened at of all places the Magic Kingdom of Disney. I always knew June was a princess and I guess God agrees with me! Here is June’s account of God reminding her of what a “firework” she will always be to Him.
June Camizzi writes, “It’s my junior year of high school and our choir is performing in the Magic Kingdom. What an amazing day! It is my first time to Disney World since I was five and my memories from that trip are pretty sketchy. So our first night there, what do we do?
Well, we all went to the parade and fireworks of course! The parade was great, though not as cool as I remembered; a giant light bulb worm was much cooler technology in 1985 to a five year-old than in 1997 to a teenager. Afterwards, those fireworks would follow which would have much more meaning than I would first realize.
All the sudden, with no warning, I felt very sad. I watched the fireworks in their entire Disney splendor over Cinderella’s castle and saw the elation in the faces around me and it made me feel so wrong. “Why? Why do I feel so sad about these stupid fireworks?” The answer hit me like a ton a bricks.
“It’s not my birthday.” That must sound so incredibly selfish, and perhaps it is. As you have probably guessed at this point I was born on the Fourth of July, and while I had missed fireworks on my birthday before, that moment in Disney was the first time I remember seeing fireworks when it wasn’t my birthday.
Every year at least once during the Fourth of July fireworks, now that I’m older with a wink and a smile, one of my parents would always say, “These are for you.” Well, even as a small child I knew well that they weren’t really for me; or did I? Back in Disney watching the displays of color, Imagineering, and pyrotechnics, I began to tear up and as I write this now, the potent emotions again flood over me. I have really never gotten over that moment. The moment I realized I’m not special.
And no, just no, I realized it was a lie- probably the biggest lie that I have ever believed! I just realized that the first time I missed fireworks on my birthday was 10 months before that. I was working at a summer camp far away from any town and at 9:30 I went outside on my porch and listened as hard as a could and for a few minutes I heard some pops and booms, but it was the first birthday I was away from my parents and I didn’t see fireworks. And 10 months later I am standing in the Magic Kingdom, and for some reason I got it all wrong. Those fireworks weren’t telling me that I wasn’t special. They were God saying to me clearly that He loves me so much that He was giving me my 17th set of fireworks before my 18th birthday- so I wouldn’t have to be a set behind.
How could I have gotten it so wrong? How could I have believed such a horrible lie that was the exactly opposite of the truth? And why has it taken me until my 32nd Fourth of July to realize it?
Can all of that be true? Does God really care that much about me? If so, how do I keep this truth? How do I make this part of me and erase the ugliness that the lie tried to put inside of me? How do I hardwire this truth into my heart, mind, and spirit?
It just seems too incredible to be true. Can I allow myself to believe this it true? And yet- right at this moment, I can’t come up with one reason not to believe it. Even if it is not true, what’s the big deal? I have to believe something, so I am believing this to be true- that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit worked in harmony to get me that set of fireworks to show me how special I really am, how much He really loves me. If I had gotten fireworks on my birthday that year, I would have subconsciously associated that with my parent’s love. This, fireworks on another day, to make up for the ones I missed before, away from my parents, showed God’s love and how much He thinks of only me. I am special after all! Baby, I’m a firework to Him and always will be!”
Lord God, please cement this truth in my heart. Dig out the lie and all the things that went with it. Help me to ignore and remove the lies and the bad habits I have gotten from it. Thank you. Thank you for my fireworks. Thank you for the bright, loud, impossible to ignore proclamation of your personal love for me. I am so sorry I got the message wrong. Thank you for being patient enough with me to make sure I got it right. You are more personal than I ever knew. Please keep this truth in my heart and my mind and my spirit for every day for the rest of my life. Please help me to never let it go.”
Thank you June for opening your heart so we can get a glimpse of the real love of God and how He longs to speak that reality into each and every one of us…