Monday, September 26, 2016

September 26, 2016 - Playing Like A Little Kid

As I sat and watched all I could stomach of the presidential debate tonight I had another one of my sports-devotion-writer moments where my mind goes back to the sports world…

What I was much more impressed with tonight was seeing the tribute to the Florida Marlins pitcher (Jose Fernandez) that passed away in a boating accident yesterday. As his teammates all donned jerseys with his name and number it was clear it would be an emotional evening; yet when Dee Gordon took a pitch in Jose’s honor and then proceeded to go yard on the 3rd pitch with his first homerun of the season it was epic. To see that young man circle the bases and enter the dugout with tears filling his eyes was an awesome picture of being part of a team!

That followed me watching yesterday as social media was flooded with responses of his peers around the league paying their respects; and my favorite was a video of Marlins manager Don Mattingly as he fought tears while describing Fernandez… Mattingly talked about how much Jose Fernandez loved the game of baseball. He talked about how Jose was like a little kid in his excitement for the game. In the midst of a professional sports world where athletes are so often criticized, it is great to hear of one that was playing for the love of the game. Add in Fernandez’s story of how he escaped Cuba to become a US citizen and we see a beautiful picture of how a fee man plays, appreciates his teammates, and enjoys the game!

All of that (and believe me I could go on and on with the parallels) to simply say that when I “leave the game” I hope to be remembered like Jose Fernandez as a guy that played free; had the respect of those on “my team” and around the “league”; and simply loved the game.

The Scriptures are full of reminders that we should be known by our love for one another. Just watching the Marlins highlights today I wish I were on their team…

The Scriptures even remind us that when those not on our team see how we “play the game” they should glorify God in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Let’s LIVE with a genuine love for God and others… like little kids playing the game!

LIVE (Love Intentionally Value Everyone)

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