Hiatus

Hello faithful readers. I'll be on hiatus for an indeterminate amount of time from Blessed Under Trial, as I feel for now I've come to a lack of material with God and Sports. I'll be updating my other blog, http://rebuildingseason.blogspot.com with fresh content which may or may not be related to God and/or Sports, and may still from time to time write a piece here, but for now the weekly updates are on hold. Have a great day!

Idleness and Offseasons

As primarily a baseball fan these days, the offseason can be pretty maddening. On one hand, I'm excited that I have time to look deeper into issues on my mind, like Minor Leaguers, trades, and salaries, but the lack of actual sport tends to lead to me over-analyzing everything. I can become overly critical of others too, since the lack of sport forces me to rely on other people for nourishment, and that always leads to disappointment.

For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. -- 2nd Thessalonians 3:14

It's easy in times of idleness to fall into such traps; by nature we are self concerned and judgmental. Fortunately God gave us something to help us avoid this: work. Work doesn't necessarily have to be your day job; it can be anything done for a purpose that brings glory to God. If you have 3 months off in the summer because you're a teacher, then volunteering at a day camp could be work. Writing a blog post could be work (at least I tell myself it is.) Processing your way through a commentary on the book of Isaiah could be work.

The point is that idleness isn't of God. We all need rest; God commanded Elijah to go to sleep when the world became too much for him. That said, if you've come to the point that you're well rested enough to realize that the lack of work is affecting you negatively, then you need to get to work. God wants you to work, and through the experience rely on him so he can draw you closer to him. When we're idle, we're not relying on God at all, and we're not doing anything to change it. Remember that in everything we do, God should be glorified, and because of our selfish nature, they don't always come naturally. Strive for God, and you will find yourself doing great things solely on him carrying your works.

Dikembe Mutombo: Big; Nice Guy.

If you ever find a list of all around good guy athletes (especially good guy NBA players) Dikembe Mutombo will almost certainly be near the top of the list. He's well known in particular for his efforts to improve living conditions in The Republic of Congo, where he's originally from, going as far as donating more than 15 million dollars to building a hospital with modern facilities. That doesn't mean he's been without his controversy.

Mutombo has been known particularly for two strikes against him; taunting after blocking a shot, and dangerously flailing his elbows. With regards to the taunting, he would wave his finger in front of a player after blocking a shot, as if he was a parent that just took away a cookie from a mischievous child. It got bad enough that the league started calling a technical foul on him for Unsportsmanlike Conduct when he would do it. As for the arm waving, he's a big guy, and he plays aggressively, which causes him to push people away violently some times. In his own words, he doesn't mean to hurt anyone, but his position demands physical play, and the best he can do is to say Sorry, and move on.

I highlight Mutombo because he's a great example of how one can live their life in the world but still donate the fruits to God. Mutombo isn't a perfect man; he clearly has his faults, but he still makes great strides in giving the fruits of his labor to God. While it's good to try to strive for godliness in the work that you do, if you find joy in something and you're good at it, then you can use it for God. While I don't advocate sinking to obvious sin (don't become a mercenary assassin or anything) there's no reason secular work can't be used for God.

I once heard a speaker in college tell a shy Electrical Engineer, "If you're good at making money, go make money." God can use your pension for making money in extraordinary ways, and he did that with Dikembe Mutombo. He's used his basketball ability to build a hospital in the Congo, and he can use your difficult job to accomplish great things too. This isn't easy though; it requires incredible faith, diligence, and humility to keep relying on God. That said, God believes in you, else he wouldn't have put you where you are. Trust in God and give over the fruits of your labor, and be amazed at what he does with them.

"He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." -- 1st Corinthians 3: 8-9

Playoffs and Pushing God Away

You've worked for so, so long to get to this point. You put in more practice than your opponents, worked harder, and wanted it more. All those days of twice daily practices and the special diets have paid off; you've made the playoffs. All you have to do is finish this up with your full, undivided effort, and then everything will be great. You'll have so much time to focus on God and you'll be able to get to everything you've been intending to the whole season. You'll finally read that book your parents gave you, catch up on the study you claim to have done already, and you'll pray more often for problems. If I just finish up this little thing here, then I'll give God all the attention he wants.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" -- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance, All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. -- James 4:13-17

It's a weird dichotomy when we feel like God has propelled us into a certain situation, but we feel like we need to put him aside to accomplish the goals we've given us. We may feel God has called us to sport, work, or any other activity, but right now it's just too stressful and tough to pray, read the word, or commune with believers. It's fine; I'll just put it off for a little bit, get the work done, and then I'll have plenty of time to focus on God again. What sort of standard does this set for our future?

1. We're falling into a habit of the world now, God later. Everyone has their own personal way of communing with God. Some pray constantly, some fast for wisdom, some study the word for revelations, etc. That doesn't mean that when push comes to shove, it's OK to put God off for a bit. Our love for God should be so powerful that it shouldn't even be a choice, and every time we make that choice against God, we're letting sin take hold.
2. We're pushing God out of our world. In Acts, God says that his people did everything together in the Lord. God gave Adam work to do in order to glorify God. We should be confident that God has given us the work in front of us and we don't need to push him out. God doesn't just want the private time when we can afford it; he wants our lunch breaks, our 3:00 meeting, our family dinners, and our 4th quarters. Don't push God away; allow him to take the reins in the hard times and let him show you and everyone else his plan and power.
3. We're trying to accomplish goals in order to earn time with God. Deep down we feel like we have to get this work done so that we can be guilt and conscious free when we come to God. God does not call the proud, the accomplished, and the strong. God wants you to come to him weak, humble, and empty so that he can fill you with himself. He wants to take care of the hard times, not just the easy ones.

When you get to the playoffs of life, don't push God out. Don't just wait for tomorrow for God; you don't know what's going to happen today. Let God rule today and let him worry about what will happen tomorrow too.

Matt Murton's New Circumstances

Matt Murton has had an interesting year. After struggling through parts of 6 seasons up and down through the minor league system with the Cubs, A's, and Rockies, Murton's contract was sold to the Hanshin Tigers for the 2010 season. All of a sudden this red-haired Gaijin that knew nothing about Japan was headed off to join one of the most popular teams for a country that goes nuts over baseball, and he had no idea what to expect. It's safe to say though that he didn't expect to shatter the single season hits record. Even though the previous holder, Ichiro, did his 210 hits in 130 games, and Murton did his 214 in the newly lengthened season of 144 games, it's fine to say that he enjoyed a great season (even if it wasn't legendary) with a final line of 349/395/499 with 17 HRs. Now he's been using his new platform to talk about God!

Murton was never anything fancy stateside. After a good season in 2006, he had his 2007 shortened with the acquisition of Cliff Floyd, relegating Murton to a 4th outfielder role. He spent 2008 and 2009 up and down without ever receiving regular at-bats in the MLB. By his own admission, Murton struggled to figure out what was going on after 2007. He often prayed to God, wondering if God had other plans for him. It turned out that God did. A Christian since the age of 6 after praying with his mother one day, Murton was sent to a foreign land where he relied on God exclusively to take care of his family, who braved the journey with him. God came through in spades, to say the least, blessing Murton's endeavors in baseball and allowing him a platform to preach the gospel.

Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation. -- Isaiah 12:2

Often times we may wonder why things aren't going well. We pray for God to humble us and draw us closer to him, then question God as to why he seems to be cursing our efforts in the world. Trusting in God is just that; trust. God wants to use you, and he alone knows what it takes to bring you to a place where you can trust fully in him to follow him. When things go off of our plans, it's not because God has abandoned us, forgotten us, or is actively working against us. Rather, God is working through our circumstances in order to show us the better plans he has in store for us. Matt Murton probably would not have gone to Japan without this sort of strange path, but I don't think he'd argue the notion that he's happy he's there now. God will provide us strength, opportunity, and inspiration to accomplish his plan, and we only need to trust in his power and not work against it.

Christmas

Just a quick post this week as we all head into Christmas; take a moment sometime this week to think about how amazing it truly is that God sent his son in human form to save us. He was born from a woman as we are, and faced all the trials and tribulations we do, and yet still lived to become a perfect sacrifice for us. Sports these days (and society in general) are so focused on how much we can harness our own individual talents in order to better ourselves that we forget the model that we are supposed to follow; one of complete reliance on the Father and amazing selflessness. Jesus lived and died sinlessly in order to save us, and all we have to do is trust in his salvation. That should blow your mind.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. -- John 1:4-5

Ted Barrett's Humble Strength

Being an umpire is rough. It's impossible to get every call right, and when you don't, everybody hates you. Even the people who respect you hate you. It's easy when taking up that call to put up a similar proud aura; you're running this show, and you demand respect. Ted Barrett, though, handles his business a little differently.

Do not be lead away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace... -- Hebrews 13:9a

As an umpire, Barrett knows he has to have confidence in there or he'll be eaten alive by fans, players, and coaches ready to jump anything close to a mistake. Berating the umpires is one of the great traditions of the game, and any umpire worth his salt knows how to ignore it and run the game the way he wants to. That said, it's possible to do this with humility and quietness. Common wisdom says that the great umpires are "seen, but not heard." They are able to command respect in the game based on their abilities, and keep the game going without making a show of their presence. In umpiring as well as the rest of life, taking direct insults without pushing back is extremely difficult; fortunately we lean on a God who has given an identity which he is responsible for, and he has justified our lives for us.

The vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult. -- Proverbs 12:16

If you let them get under your skin, then they've won that battle. You have shown them that you are placing your worth, your justification, on something which needs your personal involvement to uphold. We don't need to do this. God is perfectly capable of justifying himself. When someone accuses the fatherless, the widow, and the poor, take up their cause. When accusations come from the ungodly, the Lord will defend our cause.

I will bear the indignation of the LORD

because I have sinned against him,

until he pleads my cause

and executes judgment for me.

He will bring me out to the light;

I shall look upon his vindication.

Then my enemy will see,

and shame will cover her who said to me,

"Where is the Lord your God?"

"My eyes will look upon her;

now she will be trampled down

like the mire of the streets. - Micah 7:9-10

God has come out and judged, and Jesus has born the punishment. He vindicates our cause against the baseless accusations of this world. Place your worth in Jesus' salvation and you'll be able to shrug off insults; they're not what you place your ultimate worth in. Be a little bit like Ted Barrett--confident, strong, and humble, but because the Lord has made him that way, not because he has worked for it.