God & Baseball

I wish I could take the credit for what follows...but I'm just sharing.
I was taking my 2 youngest kids to school the other day and was listening to a CD by Bob Bennett. He has a song called, "A Song About Baseball". I've had this CD for several years now and still love it. Bob is a great songwriter and has not been given due credit in the Christian music industry. He is a master storyteller and the smoothness of his voice, as well as awesome acoustic guitar playing, just make it a major treat to be able to listen to him. I got to see/hear him about 15 years ago with Michael Card...don't even get me started on the brilliance of Michael Card.

Anyway, it was only about 2 years ago that I really listened to the Baseball song. He talks about himself, growing up playing Little League and watching games...he grew up "when the Angels still played in LA". He talks about baseball cards & bubble gum, saying "I think there's a hole in my glove", swinging with eyes closed holding his breath, dying on the way back to the bench. But then he says something that, again, after listening to this song for over 10 years, hit me...and it hit me again this morning.

"None of it mattered after the game, when my father would find me and call out my name. An ice cream, a sno-cone, a candy bar, a limousine ride in the family car...he loved me, no matter how I played...he loved me."

Life, like baseball, is not about the "game"...it's about the experience. It's about what happens after it's over. What happens if you lose in baseball? There's another game around the corner. What happens when you lose a battle in life? There's another one around the corner. What we do and how we handle it afterward is the main thing. Who we turn to can make all the difference in the world, both figuratively and literally.

I have a friend who subscribes to this blog. We have known each other for a long time. They have recently given up on God as they have known Him and they are searching...and I want to encourage them in their search, because if they are really searching, they will come full-circle and find Him, this time as He really is, not as a denomination has instructed them to see Him.

It doesn't matter if you swing and miss, it doesn't matter if, in the outfield, you lose the ball in the sun and miss the catch. It doesn't matter if you fall down running down the baseline or if you're thrown out at first...because none of it matters after the game, when your Father will find you and call out your name.

Think about it.