Stephen Strausberg Pitching Phenom or Fufilled Prophecy?

I'm not a guy who watches baseball on a regular basis. To me, its a bit of a slow sport. I like sports where people strike each other, like football, mma, and boxing. I know, it may not be very pastorly, but its the truth. Maybe if baseball included chasing the other team around with the bats and throwing the balls at each other I could get behind it. As it is, the most exciting part about baseball to me is the garlic fries at Safeco Field in Seattle. Those things are amazing.

 

But when a player like Stephen Strausberg comes along, even a guy like me takes notice. Here's a kid who is 6' 4" 220 lbs. that throws a 100mph fastball. Wow. I don't know much about no baseyball, but I do know this. 100mph is a rocket fast arm. Strausberg played his first MLB game last night and absolutely crushed it. 14 strike outs and His team, the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburg Pirates 5-2. Amazing debut for a 22 year old kid.

 

Some Nationals fans are saying that his arrival is like a prophecy being fulfilled or a messiah arriving. For National fans who have been waiting for someone to pull their team out of the depths of despair, this is what they've been needing.  The team wanted a phenom that would energize the fan base and invigorate the town. They wanted it. They got it.

 

People love winners. People get excited about someone who is out of the norm who can, for a moment, release them from the drudgery of everyday life, if only for a moment. Regardless of the sport, people love the momentary escape from their seemingly boring life.

 

Here's the deal- sport is what it is. But what it reveals is this- people want more in their life than the daily grind. They want to be energized and they want to be elevated and will do whatever it takes to experience it.

 

Here's the nugget for the day- while sports may be exciting and uplifting, the reality is that the feelings that you get from them, like many diversions, are temporary at best. That emptiness and longing for elevation can only be satisfied through the one who created you with that longing.

 

I like sports. I watch them. But I never forget that they are temporary and not my savior. I don't need them, they need me. The mound that I am entranced with is the mound at Calvary.

 

When you know the Savior, you know what true elevation is. You realize that depths that He pulls you out of.

 

Good job Stephen. No disrespect. Throw that ball. I'll cheer you on, but I'll keep my relationship with the Lord at the top of my list.

 

blessings,

matt

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