Coming Through

In the Bible, we can read the incredible story of humanity being reconciled to a loving Heavenly
Father through His Son, Jesus - and we each have our own personal salvation story, which brings us into a role in God's overall plan. Romans 15 states:
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God,
16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.

When we reflect on our lives, we can be motivated to identify how we have seen God work: through our experience of salvation, perhaps His faithfulness in navigating through a difficult time in our lives, seeing His provision, maybe His restoration.  Our lives can become a composite bringing honor and glory to God - and we can be grateful for what we have seen Him do; and...for who He is, our great God and King, who has drawn us to Himself.

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God wants to make known His presence through each of us; we are called to tell His story, and to
relate how His story has been expressed through our lives. Colossians 1 says:
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

This year's Major League Baseball season is shaping up to be a highly competitive one, including the NL East, where the upstart Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies aim to keep pace with the Washington Nationals.  And, over in the American League East, the Yankees and Red Sox promise to keep things interesting throughout the season.

The Houston Astros looked like a team poised to possess some staying power in the AL West, but the team is tied atop the division with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which has one of the most talented younger players in the game, Mike Trout, as well as the seasoned veteran, Albert Pujols, who just made it into the record books - again - a week ago, by nailing his 3,000th hit.  According to SportsSpectrum.com, Pujols said:

“It was going to happen, it was just a matter of when,” Pujols said to MLB.com. “I just thank the Lord that it happened tonight in front of my family, my friends. Now we just stay focused on the things that I want to do, which is help this ballclub to win. We don’t have to talk too much about 3,000 now.”

Only 32 players have achieved that feat, and Sports Spectrum says, "He’s also hit 620 home runs, becoming only the fourth player to collect 3,000 hits and 600 home runs, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez."  In a tweet, Pujols stated about his latest milestone, "All glory be to God."

Last year, the BillyGraham.org website did a feature on Pujols after his 600th home run - it was a grand slam, the first time that had been done!  The story says:

As he stepped on home plate just before being hugged and high-fived by awaiting teammates, Pujols pointed up with both index fingers and looked skyward, his custom after hitting home runs.

“I started doing that after I heard about how we can fall in love with the gift and forget about the Giver,” he said. “Like Psalm (121:2) says, ‘My help comes from the Lord.’ I want to make sure to thank Him, knowing that everything I do, whether it’s on the field or off, comes from Him. It reminds me that it’s not about Albert Pujols. It’s about what Christ did for us on the cross.”

The story also relates that:

Pujols is highly respected by his Angels teammates. He not only helps them with baseball advice, he also has a heart for helping them discover Christ.

“I think God has put me here for something bigger than the game because I care so much about my teammates,” he said. “I really try every day to have conversations. Obviously, it’s not hard to talk with them about baseball. But I also talk with them about the Good News and what God has done in my life.

“As much as I want to come through in a game with a big base hit or a home run, I also want to come through spiritually for my teammates.”

 He also wants to come through for his family.  Pujols says:

“If you put God at the center of your family, your kids, your career and your friends, everything is going to fall into place. But if you take Him out of the center, everything starts to fall out of place.”

He and wife Deidre have 5 children - the article states, "Their oldest child, daughter Isabella, has Down Syndrome. Albert and Deidre established the Pujols Family Foundation to assist children with Down and also the unprivileged in the Dominican Republic. Deidre also founded a non-profit ministry, Open Gate International, to rescue women from human trafficking and other people from at-risk situations and teach them culinary and life skills based on Biblical principles."

And, the Billy Graham website points out that "Pujols said he regularly participates in a morning Bible study with his pastor, usually via FaceTime or Skype."

Reflecting on his life story, Albert Pujols is quoted as saying, "It just gives me chills...I always say if the Lord would have given me 1,000 blank pages and told me to write my journey up until I was 37 years old, I wouldn’t have even come close to what God has done in my life—and not just on the field."

And, who knows, he may even have a chance at exceeding the all-time home run record set by Barry Bonds of 762.  A USA Today article from last year examined the possibilities:

“God willing, I hope I get the opportunity,’’ Pujols recently told USA TODAY Sports. “If I’m close, and I’ve played 20 some years already, why not play one more and try to get it?

“It would be so special. I can’t even imagine.’’ 

Considering that Pujols is the fourth-youngest player to hit 600 home runs and has averaged 29 home runs a season even during five injury-plagued years with the Angels, it’s hardly unimaginable.

And, if the Angels make the playoffs and even go the World Series, Pujols will have a few more extra games in which to add some dingers.  So, far, this season, he has 6 homers in a month-and-a-half.

I wanted to point out several ideas that I had from relating aspects of Albert's story.  And, first of all, it's the concept of God's story in you.  Pujols could not have anticipated what God would do in His life, and thousands upon thousands of pages have been written about him, and his faith is a consistent presence.  We can acknowledge that our Creator is expressing Himself through us, and that we have the capacity to live out what God has intended.

Pujols also demonstrates what it looks like to honor the Giver.  He certainly has a unique gift, but he recognizes that His unique and excellent baseball abilities are to be used for the glory of God - those gifts should be surrendered to the Giver, in his estimation.  So, we can be challenged to surrender the unique abilities God has given to us to Him, and...

...we can be careful to express gratitude.  Pujols makes the point that we are to be thankful in all things, recognizing that it's not about himself, but about God.

And, finally, Albert Pujols demonstrates what it's like to embrace gospel opportunities.  He wants to come through obviously on the field, but he also desires to impact his teammates spiritually.  He says he wants to share the "Good News" and "what God has done" in his life.  We can reflect on what God has done in and for us, and realize that is such a big part of who we are as Christians.