I was born kinesthetic. Not until some time later did I realize I had God to thank for that. Not until I came to know Jesus did I realize I had to do something about it.

FullSizeRender (4)Several Washington Nationals players drove this home for me during the post- game celebration of Faith Day at Nats Park. There, a group of professional baseball players who had just slugged it out for an awesome nine innings, sauntered over in street clothes to talk with us about God, Jesus and  baseball.

Great combination, huh?

I like to say (and even write :)) that I’m a Kinesthetic Christian, but these guys take this to a totally new level. They’re way better at being kinesthetic than I am. They’ve certainly made WAY more of their gift than I have made of mine.

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Yet, one by one, they share honest stories of struggle in the midst of their exceedingly successful careers in baseball – one via relationship, one due to injury and one in a dire crisis of confidence. When these guys thought they had finally “arrived,” the bottom fell out. Forced to give up what they had always dreamed about, a door opened to something they hadn’t known was missing. That’s when faith took hold.

Daniel Murphy calls it filling a “Jesus-shaped hole.” And he is candid about speaking – not just about God – but about Jesus. His savior is Jesus; he’ll say it again, Jesus. Because, says Murphy, “Jesus demands a response.”

Wow. I can get on board with that. God has a lot of names these days and shows up in a lot of places. But Jesus, now that guy makes demands. If you follow Jesus, he shows up and then asks, What are you gonna do about me?!

Over the weekend, the major league ball players wore youth-style jerseys with a spot on the sleeve to write the name of a person who has aided their career. Murph wore “JESUS.”  He’s proclaiming the name all over the tv screen, because Murph is all over the tv screen.  For his time in the spotlight Daniel Murphy’s got a platform, and he plans on using it. During his turn in the batter’s box he makes plain that he is a Christian and is doing his darnedest to be a good representative of the family tree.

God made him a good baseball player. Jesus demands a response.

IMG_7324All three ball players who were interviewed by Nats commentator Bob Carpenter confessed that it’s never easy in the “Big Leagues.” Here, as celebrated athletes at the top of their profession, they bubble in a daily cauldron of nearly unimaginable pressure… Perform now. The game, the season, your career is on the line. Talk about tension!

They have discovered the secret to tension. “There’s more to life than baseball…We need to be a light to all the others.”

Oh, what a welcome message that is to hear. As an avid sports fan and regular contestant, I confess that I cringe every time I hear an interview with a winning athlete that goes something like this:

Interviewer: “So what is your advice to young players who want to play pro ball?”
Athlete: “You just have to believe in yourself and never give up.”

NO!!! I want to holler back. Believing in yourself, even with the grittiest of discipline, will only get you so far. To get the rest of the way, you have to surrender. Surrender success, achievements, medals, trophies, and even the World Series ring. Give it all to God. Then, when you can subsist on what’s left after giving up all that, Jesus meets us, and it’s the best thing ever. Better than we could have ever planned, imagined, or dreamed.

God doesn’t want our trophies; God wants us.

This is the message these ballplayers are trying to live out. Wieters, Rendon and Murphy, plus Goodwin, Drew, Taylor, Lobaton and NY Met, Brendan Nimmo, are here to let us know it.

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I’m looking at you guys through different eyes now. You take kinesthetic to a whole new level, and its good, very good. I hope it takes you all the way this year because really, what would God do with a World Series ring, anyway?

It was a great game. It had me on my feet a lot, and I’m making no apologies for that. It’s just the way I’m wired. When I see a great play, I’m on my feet. Throw a guy out from center, peg a guy out from third, make a diving grab, homer, RBI, strike them out … I’m up! Clapping. Hollering. I can’t help it; I’m kinesthetic. I was born that way.

So now I am asking myself… Why am I not on my feet when my pastor hits one out of the park? When God makes a great play, why am I satisfied to applaud politely from my pew? What if I were as enthusiastic about my faith as I am about my favorite team?

Thank you for speaking up, Matt, Anthony, Murph and friends. God may speak with a still, small voice, but Jesus demands a response. You are living yours out in front of us. Thank you for reminding me that I must live out mine.