Well, opening day for baseball has arrived.  I like that!  Opening day is filled with promise.  Hope springs eternal.  There is every reason for optimism at the beginning of baseball season for just about every team. 

 

I have a long habit of watching the first pitch and inning, if not whole game, of the Chicago Cubs on opening day.  I have enjoyed games at Wrigley Field in times past and in many ways it is like stepping back into the past at this old, historic stadium.  Furthermore, it is the only day of the season, year after year, that the Cubs are undefeated.  After opening day you usually can't say that!  So I enjoy that game...though I probably won't like the final score.  Oh well-it is the Cubs!

 

Yea, the Cubs perennially start poorly and then it gets worse.  But I take some solace in the fact that even the best of teams in Major League Baseball lose, at least, a third of their games.  And, frankly, that is one of the things I love about baseball-you can't let one loss defeat you.  "Hey, it's a long season" (that's what they always say and it's true).  You go back out there and play your best the next day.  Life calls for that as well.  You can't let one loss cause you to give up.  You can't throw in the towel after one failure.   A successful multi-million dollar professional baseball player may only get a hit about a fourth of the time-and that's if he's had a good hitting streak.  So the next time you strike out in life remember you are going to get another bat-another chance and you may get your best hit ever.

 

One more thing I would like to point out about baseball and life.  Baseball keeps statistics for just about everything.  How would you like for someone to keep a record of all of your errors and then to publish them for all to see?  (And this year they have instant replay so we will see errors over and over).  But listen, God extends more grace than that in life.  When we confess our errors to God, he forgives us and wipes the errors from our record.  He gives us a new beginning.  For the Christian, everyday is like opening day.  That's grace-and it's amazing!

 

Devotedly your Pastor,

Ron