Hitting a grand slam for Jesus!

“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is." Bob Feller

  For me, baseball and Hank Aaron are nearly synonymous. It’s hard to believe it’s been over forty years, but I still remember April 8, 1974. That was the day Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record, sending his 715^th career home run out of the ballpark.

  In his autobiography, I Had A Hammer, Aaron recalled that he and his wife, Billye, hosted a party after the historic game. When he got some alone time, Aaron realized the true impact of his achievement. “When I was alone and the door was shut, I got down on my knees and closed my eyes and thanked God for pulling me through…I had done something that nobody else in the world had ever done, and with it came a feeling that nobody else has ever had—not exactly, anyway. I didn’t feel a wild sense of joy. I didn’t feel like celebrating. But I probably felt closer to God at that moment than at any other in my life. I felt a deep sense of gratitude and a wonderful surge of liberation all at the same time. I also felt a stream of tears running down my face.” The Atlanta Braves weren’t a great team when I was growing up but Henry Aaron was a great player. He gave me a love for the game that’s never waned.

  Maybe that’s why a recent story about Colby Rasmus caught my attention. Rasmus played baseball for the Cardinals from 2009-2011 when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. His story is much more important than baseball. It’s a story about life, eternal life. It’s a wonderful account of how the gospel and the power of Jesus changes lives.

  Colby Rasmus hadn’t had a great career. His tenure with the Cardinals was very rocky partly due to the fact that he never played up to the expectations people had for him and partly because he and the manager, Tony LaRussa, didn’t get along. The Houston Astros, Rasmus’ new team, faced the Cardinals in a spring training game which led to an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. This is where it gets really good. In the interview for the article, Colby Rasmus, shared that he was at peace now because he found Jesus Christ. “I was lost for a while. I can remember (former Cardinal) Lance Berkman sitting next to me on the bench, talking about Jesus Christ and I didn’t really understand it. At the time, my family hadn’t really bought into that. Looking back, I see Albert (Pujols) and Lance and (Matt) Holliday and (Adam) Wainwright and I see this aura, this presence they had about them. I always wondered how they got that. Now I see what it’s about and it’s changed my life big-time. I focus on my family and I don’t get caught up in all that stuff like I used to. My time in St. Louis…the fans were always good to me and it tore me up a little bit when I didn’t play well, so I went through some rough times. Surrendering my life to the Lord helped me relieve those demons, so to speak.”

  Wow! Sometimes we think the famous and rich are beyond the gospel. They’re not. Colby Rasmus came to Christ the same way everyone else does. It’s the same pattern that God may have used to reach you. It’s the same pattern that God will use to reach your loved ones and friends.

  Most people come to Christ because of the influence of their friends. When talking about coming to faith in Christ, Rasmus mentions by name four guys who reached out to him, sat next to him on the bench, and cared about him as a person. The first step to influencing others for Christ starts with just being their friend. It can be talking at work or across the street. It’s just spending time with the lost, building bridges for the gospel.

  A normal Christian can be a more powerful witness than professional Pastor. The people who pointed him to Jesus were guys he worked with not a pastor, not the team chaplain. You have far more opportunity to influence someone you work with or live next door to than most pastors ever will have. I’ve said it so many times, I hope it comes back to you in your dreams – God placed you in your office, neighborhood, on a team, or in your school to be His light to people who’d never be interested in talking to a pastor. Insiders (like teammates) often have far more power to influence than outsiders (like pastors).

  A normal Christian struggling with a normal life has a super influence. As Christians, we need to be both like and unlike people who don’t follow Jesus. Rasmus’ Christian teammates shared the same job, temptations, struggles, lifestyle that he did. Your friends should look at you and realize, “You can be a Christian and be normal, have a family, be successful at work, have fun, etc…” Yet, he also said that he noticed his Christian teammates were different than him. Christians should be different in their integrity, generosity, patience, kindness, how they handle adversity, etc.

  The heat brings out the gold and others see the shine. Everyone eventually faces tough times. It’s often in those times that they’re willing to consider the gospel in a more serious way. For Rasmus, adversity came in the form of a disappointing performance on the field. For your friends it might be a broken relationship, loss of a loved one, health issues, marital struggles, depression, or a job loss. In those difficult times they’ll turn to someone to talk to. Have you built a good friendship, have you expressed your care and concern, have you proven safe and trustworthy so that in their moment of need they’ll turn to you?

  When something or someone is important to you, you naturally talk about it. Rasmus says that his teammate Lance Berkman sat on the bench with him and talked about Jesus. If Jesus is important to you, if you have a vibrant relationship with Him (not just a Sunday morning one), you’ll talk about Him because He’s always on your mind. Because we know how much Jesus loves us, we want to tell others how much Jesus loves them. Often, it’s best to put it in the context of your own life. Explain how you became a Christian and what Jesus means to you. Most people are interested in hearing your story.

  The things that are vital and make a difference take time. When it comes to the gospel, most of us are too easily discouraged. When those we care about don’t immediately respond to Christ or come to church when we invite them, we quit. As Rasmus’ story proves it takes time. Several years elapsed between his first exposure to his Christian teammates and his becoming a Christian, and that’s normal.

  Want to be a winner? Win your friends to Jesus? It’s much better than breaking some sports record. It will count for all eternity and they will be eternally grateful that you were a true friend who cared about their soul.