7th Inning Stretch

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. "
Clarence Budington Kelland

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty."
Author Unknown

There they sat watching the game as usual when this man did an amazing thing. It was a heroic act in an attempt to catch a foul ball by leaning well beyond the safety of the ledge in the 2nd level of stands behind home plate. What an amazing catch. All around him people applauded in sheer astonishment with his desire and will to achieve what every boy dreams to do since adolescence. Here this opportunity sat and he was ready.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqxSA73hGz8
Allow me to use this story as an analogy for God. The baseball game= life. The ball=gifts from God. The father and his open arms of love= God. The child=us making mistakes daily as we work through life. The crowd=the world.
God does amazing things all around us every single day. We witness this and think about how many wonderful things we get to experience. We make mistakes just as this little girl did by throwing the gift back…but there God was ready to love us still even though the crowd was shocked by our actions. What a great picture of how God loves us. He loves us without any conditions or terms like a father loves his children. When the world around us oh’s and ah’s with shock and disbelief by what we have done, He immediately opens his arms to comfort us in our insecurities even though we threw His gift back. We will be rewarded with more blessings just as this father was rewarded with another ball for his unconditional love.
I must admit, it sure is refreshing to actually see a positive story get national recognition...finally.