“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up…” Vince Lombardi
Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him… II Corinthians 5:17-18 (The Message)
As most of my dear readers know, I am a baseball fan. In particular, I am a fan of the Cincinnati Reds. As such, I am familiar with suffering. You see, last night, the Reds found another way to lose a game in heartbreaking fashion, blowing a three-run lead in the ninth inning. Now, this is not, in the grand scheme of things, a very big deal at all. But it did put me in a foul mood for a bit.
More importantly, it can be another example of how baseball can help teach us about life. Baseball is an everyday game. After a loss like that, it is important to shake off the disappointment of a heartbreaking loss and come back the next day ready to play. Last night’s loss must be put in the rear-view mirror, and attention must be focused on winning the game today.
We all face things from the past- failures, disappointments, pain, -which we cannot allow to hinder our mood and actions today. Every day is a new day which we can appropriate for good. Old sins and failures are wiped away in God’s forgiving grace and we get a fresh start.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for fresh starts and new days, Amen
