HWJC - Something Bigger (Bot9 #171)
The mind of the baseball world was spinning on the tragic death of Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez this past week. Tragedies such as this are beyond explanation. One of the most amazing parts of the situation was seeing Matthew 5:4 lived out, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” It was so encouraging to watch those in mourning being comforted. But then something bigger happened - the team’s first at bat of the next game. I wasn’t watching the game, but caught the highlight via SportCenter’s Instagram feed. As I watched, I think I said “wow” with my eight-year-old son sitting next to me. He asked me, “What?” How do you explain a moment to a child that defies explanation? I stumbled through trying to tell him that his teammate had just died, he honored him by stepping in right-handed, hit a home run when he switched back to left-handed, and wept his way around the bases. Seriously, read that explanation and you’ll feel what I did - there are no words to accurately capture the essence of a moment that was bigger than all of us.
Gordon explained the moment by pointing us all to the divine when he said:
In the beginning of the book of John, we see Jesus repeatedly point to something bigger. Between John 4 and 6 we see Jesus refer to his doing not his will, but the will of the Father.
John 5:19, "So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[e] does, that the Son does likewise.'"
John 6:29, "Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.'”
John 6:38, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me."
As is appropriate, we can be salt and light in good times and in times of tragedy by pointing people to the bigger work of God. None of us are executing our own will i this life, but we are all working in conjunction with the plans of the Father. Let's all continue to point those around us to something bigger just as Jesus would.