This past Tuesday was the baseball all star game. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals, my favorite player and the newly recognized best player in baseball (funny how that mantle was passed from Alex Rodriguez when his past steroid use was made public), was the central figure of the game, since it was being played in his home ball park. Major League Baseball’s advertising revolved around him. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as well as he had hoped.
He was part of a contest in which he had to try to hit a home run to win a new car (among other items) for a fan. He didn’t come close. He was given the honor of being the eighth and final hitter in the home run derby. He came in fourth. In the game, he went 0 for 3 and committed a costly error that led to two runs. His team eventually lost by only one.
If a person was seeing him play for the first time and formulating opinions only based on the home run derby and all star game, they’d say, “What’s so great about this guy?” Pujols’ all star experience illustrates an important life truth. Lots of people have their day in the sun, but the truly exceptional people are the ones who have the mix of talent, work ethic, determination, persistence, etc., to perform over the long term. That’s Albert Pujols’ calling card. Unless something unforeseen happens, he’ll win the “decade triple crown,” leading baseball in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in for the decade of 2001 – 2010. He’s never led the league in home runs or RBIs for a single season. He’s only led the league in batting average once. But over the course of time, he’s been consistent year in and year out.
Christians could learn a lesson from that model of consistency. The Bible says to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) That tells me to plan for how I can be most effective in my Christian life, and how I can be most consistent as a pastor. A top athlete will direct everything – diet, sleep and exercise habits, daily routine – towards achieving their best possible performance. They, as the Apostle Paul says, “do it go get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9:25)
If you don’t have the kind of consistency in your spiritual life you’d like, think about what you could change to help make that happen. If you sleep from midnight to 7 a.m., how about trying 11 – 6 to clear some time for a morning devotion? If you find yourself low on the mental and physical energy to serve the Lord as you would like, how could diet and exercise changes help? If an athlete alters their lifestyle so they can perform better, I think it’s reasonable to structure all your life habits around those things that are going to last forever, don’t you?
Have a blessed week!
Pastor Tom
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