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I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13
Reflect
I’ve always been a very big baseball fan. We lived near Philadelphia when I was kid and I latched on to the Phillies easily. The memory of watching Tug McGraw close out the 1980 World Series is still as clear as when I was watching the final out in my parents’ bedroom.
As an adult, I lived for 20 years in Atlanta. During those years it was impossible not to root for the Braves, even though I was still a Phillies fan — and even though the Phillies and Braves became divisional rivals. The Braves were (and still are) simply excellent. Their pitching staff at the time might have been the best ever assembled — Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery.
Among those, Smoltz was always a particular favorite of mine, especially because of the way he continually adapted his pitching style. He had been a dominant starting pitcher and won the National League’s Cy Young Award in 1996 as its best pitcher. But the dreaded Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2000 cost him an entire season, and when he returned he wasn’t quite the same. So the Braves moved him to the bullpen — and he became the league’s best relief pitcher for three seasons and set a league record for saves in 2002. When he finally returned to the starting rotation in 2005, he once again became one of baseball’s best starting pitchers. His resilience in the face of incredible obstacles and setbacks is a huge inspiration.
John also an inspiration for his faith. He shared in a 2005 article that he once questioned the Braves’ team chaplain, Walt Wiley, about living anyway he wanted to until he was in his 40s — and then accept Christ when he was ready. Wiley said, “Nothing prevents you from doing that–with the exception of one thing: You might not get to your target date.” John realized that waiting until later in life was risky — so he didn’t wait, and he accepted Christ then.
The testimonies of professional athletes like John Smoltz seem to get a lot of attention, and their celebrity status certainly elevates them in a lot of people’s eyes. But it’s important to remember a couple of things. Yes, they’re just people like you and me, but they’ve also had to live out their faith in the midst of very visible, very stressful situations. That’s probably why we can identify with what they say, because we can literally look at moments in their lives and see how they handled their faith in the midst of a memorable event.
For example, in 1996, the year that John won his Cy Young award, the Braves also played in the World Series against the New York Yankees. I was so blessed that a friend gave me an extra ticket to the fifth game. John pitched that game, and he was amazing. He pitched eight innings, struck out 10 and gave up only one run. Unfortunately, the Yankees’ pitcher, Andy Pettitte, was just a little better. He didn’t give up any runs, and the Yankees won that game 1-0, and went on to win the World Series.
In his 2005 interview, John has said that, “Someone might think [my conversion] is why I had my Cy Young season in 1996, but it’s not. However, it is why I was able to handle my Cy Young season.” Christians and non-Christians alike will reach life’s mountaintops — our Cy Young moments. We’ll also see life’s valley’s — our World Series Game 5 moments where even our best isn’t good enough. The question is, will we reach those moments alone, and how will we handle both victory and defeat?
Remember that you never have to be alone in any journey, adventure or trial that life brings you. With Christ you can do what seems to be impossible, whether that’s overcoming a tragedy or reinventing your pitching style. The Lord will bring us all manner of opportunities to grow, but He wants to experience those with us — not watch us go through these times alone as if He was a spectator in the stands.
Reflection copyright © 2021 Doug DeBolt and Charles Fulton.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
