Lance McCullers, Jr is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He has been unable to pitch for the past two years because of injury. I apologize that I cannot elaborate on that more since I heard of him but did not follow him. He has recently been in the news. He was able to start pitching again this season and has had a tough way to go his first 5 outings. (He won his first game in almost two years when he defeated my Pittsburgh Pirates by outpitching Pirate sensation, Paul Skenes). Let’s just say I am not happy about that!! 🙂
Anyway, he has been in the news recently because after losing his fifth straight game, he began receiving death threats. They were especially distressing because they were directed to his wife and two daughters. An adult can somewhat understand that, but how does one explain that to a daughter that there is someone angry enough to make threats against your life? Long story short they were able to track the threat to a man who was a drunken bettor from overseas and upset at losing money. Notice the two words: drunken bettor. They don’t go very well together and this time was one way it was proven. He has apologized to Lance and his family and asked forgiveness. Now…here come the gem of this story. When Lance heard of this man’s willingness to apologize face-to-face to him, Lance responded by saying, “As a follower of Christ, I’m called to love our neighbor and to forgive. I would be open to that, but for me, I’m just happy it’s behind us and thankful to everyone that was involved in this in keeping us safe.”
I highlighted the point I want to make. “As a follower of Christ.” Forgiveness is sometimes one of the hardest things we are called on to do as followers of Christ. Jesus addressed that by saying numerous times that as we have been forgiven we must also forgive. He was our perfect example and simply said to follow in His footsteps. He once told a parable with that point in mind about a slave thrown in prison. He begs to be forgiven and released so the king grants his request. He then goes out and finds a man who owes him much less, throws him and his family in prison, until the debt is paid. Does anyone else see the idiocy of those actions and expectation? The king finds out about it and confronts the man with the stupidity of his actions and throws the man and his family back into jail. (I bet that was a happy jail cell). The point of the parable is easy to see: as you have been forgiven, so you should forgive.
Even though Lance is a Houston Astro, I will be a fan because he followed Jesus’ actions. But please, Lance, don’t pitch so well against the Pirates next time!! 🙂
A great reminder of what is expected of us. The jail that we find ourselves (and family) in when it comes to our reluctance to forgive is real. We hold on to bitterness, anger, frustration, etc. Those chains can be broken if we are willing to forgive.
“Jail” and “chains” are exactly the correct words to use Ryan. We avoid those when we forgive.
I’m so encouraged when today’s celebrities are not ashamed to share their faith so boldly in public. This story is no exception, Bill. Lance might be a Houston Astro, but he’s much, much more than that in a world so in need of Jesus.
Blessings!
I agree Martha. Living in Georgia I suspect you are, along my daughter, Tami, a disgusting Braves fan. 🙂 But I can root for Lance in the grand scheme of things (except when he pitches against the Pirates). 🙂
Forgiveness is not always an easy task, sometimes the hurt is deep. God is always there to help us realize that forgiveness does not mean what was done to us is fair, but to place that hurt in God’s hands and let God deal with that person or persons. In placing our trust in God, and forgiving keeps us from being locked in chains of bitterness that does more harm to us than the person was capable of doing to us in the first place. Lance standing up for his faith, does not make me an astro fan, but it does make me a fan of my brother in Christ.
Well said Gail. I know there are some whose hurt runs deeply. Forgiving does not mean forgetting. But it does mean trusting God to help you deal with it. I’m with you on the Astro fan but I will cheer for my brother in Christ (except when he is pitching against the Pirates!) 🙂
Pirates are going down with their ship!
I kid… I kid… 😀
Thems fighting words mate