For the Love of the Game...
Crisp cool air, premature Christmas advertisements, and homework assignments being doled out faster than welfare payments...It must be October, and this must be the World Series. Tonight, for the first time since 1946 the culminating series of America's pastime will find a home in Boston. Whether your a Red Sox or Cardinals fan, or even if your a Baltimore Orioles fan this year's post season play has been a treat. Not only did we have the excitement and enertainment of yet another New York/Beantown thriller, with more twist and turn then even native Bostonian John Kerry could provide, but the senior league (a nickname for the national league for my reader's who aren't as jargon literate for the sport) for the first time in year's generated some excitement as well. While this year's World Series promises to be just as exciting, when a ton of big bats and a couple of shaky pitching staffs get together, this year's postseason has revealed that in this day of overpriced, overpayed, and underworked athletes an elite few still remain.
This elite group isn't composed of the best pitchers, the batting champ, and the gold glovers. It's made up of the guys that don't play ultimately for the money or the fame. They play for the love of the game. They play because its fun, exciting, and envigorating. They play to live out their childhood dreams of smashing the game winning home run in game 7 of the World Series. They play with one goal above all others...To be World Champion, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Like a seasoned hollywood cast they know their roles, and whether in the lead role, or as a stagehand they work to achieve perfection.
Whether you love the Red Sox or hate them, whether you admire their goofy hairstyles and pine tarred helmets, or view them as slob team from the street corner, you can't deny their passion for the game. After losing year after year to NY, they refused to quit, coming back year after year, receiving their heartbreaking beating and then coming back next year, only to have the cycle repeated all over again, waiting for that one day when the bounce would go their way, and the party would be in their lockeroom...This is their year, and these are their days.
While their passion and spirit is a rarity in their profession, its all to common among our true heroes--the men and women who dawn the uniforms of the United States Armed Services. Though they play for more than just a game these men and women daily work and fight for a cause greater than themselves. Living in often rough conditions, eating cold meals out of bag, and waking up each day never knowing if it will be their last, they fight on. Relentlessly they pursue those who seek to do us harm, and they do violence on our behalf so that we might be protected. And for a few they pay the ultimate sacrifice, in giving their life not only for their country, but for her people--us. We sleep peacebly at night because of them, we drive on paved roads, vote on election day, and spoil oursleves with luxurious gifts because of their work. They don't get holidays off, and they can't call in sick. But why do they do it?...It's because they love honor and duty, more than they love their lives and their fortunes.
As we go about our daily grind, and enjoy the freedom they so willingly protect may we not only be thankful, but also emmulate their unselfishness--giving ourselves without fear or reservation to causes greater than ourselves. Being willing to participate and give it our all when their is no glory for us, but instead their is good for someone else. May we live and love passionately, give graciously, and live unashamedly not before the audience of the world, but before an audience of one--Our beautiful, majestic Savior who is worthy of our love, our worship, and our lives.
Semper Fi
This elite group isn't composed of the best pitchers, the batting champ, and the gold glovers. It's made up of the guys that don't play ultimately for the money or the fame. They play for the love of the game. They play because its fun, exciting, and envigorating. They play to live out their childhood dreams of smashing the game winning home run in game 7 of the World Series. They play with one goal above all others...To be World Champion, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Like a seasoned hollywood cast they know their roles, and whether in the lead role, or as a stagehand they work to achieve perfection.
Whether you love the Red Sox or hate them, whether you admire their goofy hairstyles and pine tarred helmets, or view them as slob team from the street corner, you can't deny their passion for the game. After losing year after year to NY, they refused to quit, coming back year after year, receiving their heartbreaking beating and then coming back next year, only to have the cycle repeated all over again, waiting for that one day when the bounce would go their way, and the party would be in their lockeroom...This is their year, and these are their days.
While their passion and spirit is a rarity in their profession, its all to common among our true heroes--the men and women who dawn the uniforms of the United States Armed Services. Though they play for more than just a game these men and women daily work and fight for a cause greater than themselves. Living in often rough conditions, eating cold meals out of bag, and waking up each day never knowing if it will be their last, they fight on. Relentlessly they pursue those who seek to do us harm, and they do violence on our behalf so that we might be protected. And for a few they pay the ultimate sacrifice, in giving their life not only for their country, but for her people--us. We sleep peacebly at night because of them, we drive on paved roads, vote on election day, and spoil oursleves with luxurious gifts because of their work. They don't get holidays off, and they can't call in sick. But why do they do it?...It's because they love honor and duty, more than they love their lives and their fortunes.
As we go about our daily grind, and enjoy the freedom they so willingly protect may we not only be thankful, but also emmulate their unselfishness--giving ourselves without fear or reservation to causes greater than ourselves. Being willing to participate and give it our all when their is no glory for us, but instead their is good for someone else. May we live and love passionately, give graciously, and live unashamedly not before the audience of the world, but before an audience of one--Our beautiful, majestic Savior who is worthy of our love, our worship, and our lives.
Semper Fi
posted by Mr. "J" | 7:22 PM
1 Comments:
I like ;)
-Care
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