Special Moments

On Monday evening Tami and I were able to attend the Texas Rangers game against the Houston Astros. Earlier in the day I was not really excited about going to the game because I had been out for some work event every night for the previous week. I remember telling Tami that I just wanted to go home and curl up in my recliner and do nothing. Our six-year-old nephew, Jackson, and his dad were going to the game with us, though, so I knew once we got ourselves going it would be a fun evening. Jackson loves baseball and I could see the excitement in his eyes as we were getting ready to leave.

The Rangers played an amazing game and ended up winning 12-0 with Derek Holland pitching a complete game shut-out. As fun as it was to see that part of the game, the real highlight came from the Rangers’ Alex Rios. He plays right field for the Rangers, and last night he did something that only two other players have done this year in baseball. There have been 2,340 games played this year, and only three players have accomplished this great feat. Alex Rios hit for the cycle, which means that he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. So if I had backed out of going to the game that day I would have missed out on seeing something that very rarely happens in baseball.

That got me thinking about going to church. There are mornings that people wake up and they are tired because of a long week and they know how hectic the coming week is going to be. It’s not that they don’t want to be in church, but they are fighting fatigue and the busyness of life. Let me encourage you today by the lesson I learned while sitting at the baseball game. Once I got there I had a great time and enjoyed every minute of it. I was able to see a little boy who had the greatest night because he watched the Rangers win. In fact, not only did they win, but they won big. I had the opportunity for some quality friendship time, which always brings a smile to my face, and last of all I saw a feat that I’ve never seen in person at a baseball game before.

Remember these things the next time you are struggling with going to church because of everything happening in life. You are going to worship the God who loves you and has a plan for your life. You are going to be with people who love you and want to encourage you in your spiritual journey. You are going to hear the Word preached in a way that will challenge and inspire you to keep pressing on. And you will see God do things in the lives of people that only He can do.