Here Comes the Pitch

Growing Daily

Here Comes the Pitch

It happened just over 13 years ago. One of the most memorable moments in New England sports history.

Bottom of the 8th inning — a crucial playoff game. 

Bases loaded.

Two outs.

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz steps to the plate, his team down 5–1.  

The stadium holds its breath. Here comes the pitch... CRACK! Ortiz sends it soaring over the right-field wall for a game-tying grand slam!

The Sox went on to win the game and later won the World Series.  Ortiz remains a hero for that one swing. 

But here’s what most people don’t remember: until that moment, Ortiz had no hits that night. In fact, he’d struck out twice. In his previous ten playoff at-bats, he’d managed just one hit. By almost any measure, he was having a miserable stretch.

But failure is part of baseball.  Even the greatest hitters succeed less than half the time.  

Failure is also part of our Christian lives.  And if we allow yesterday’s disappointments to predict tomorrow’s outcomes, fear can keep us from even trying. Ortiz’s previous strikeouts didn’t determine what would happen on the next pitch.  And our past disappointments don’t determine what God can do through our next act of obedience.

Paul reminded Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). 

Whatever your “next at-bat” is today, step forward.  Trust God and take a swing.


- Ron Reid