We often talk of bad choices and the consequences that often accompany them. There are many times, however, when innocent and well-meaning choices can be costly. Such was the case at a Rangers game Thursday evening. An Oakland player hit a foul ball that bounced on to the field. Josh Hamilton, Rangers all-star outfielder, retrieved it and tossed the ball toward the stands, as players often do. A man in the second deck reached out to catch the ball. He actually had it in his grip but, leaned too far out and plunged 20 feet head first to the concrete. The fall killed him.
Josh had innocently and acceptably tossed a ball to the stands. It was a bit soft, however, to reach the second deck. This powerful player, who drove in four runs for the Rangers win, could have thrown the ball over the stands if he had chosen to do so. What if he had?
The yet unknown fan saw an opportunity for a souvenir baseball. All guys at a game hope for that. Some bring gloves to help them if the ball comes their way. He reached out for this soft toss from Hamilton. The ball was actually in his grasp, but standing, his weight shifted too much and he plunged to his death. His family can "what if" that incident for the rest of their lives.
So now a struggling Christian ball player who was almost defeated by drugs a few years ago has to come to grips with the "what if" factor. "What if I had tossed the ball to some kid on the ground level?" and so on.
A dear friend of Jesus, Lazarus, died. Jesus was away at the time. When he finally arrived at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus he had been dead four days. Martha ran to meet Him but Mary did not. She chose to sit at the house and wait for Jesus to come. Her first words to him as recorded in John's Gospel were: " Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died." If you know the story you are aware Jesus turned it from tragic to a wonderful miracle. We do not enjoy that kind of result today, even as Believers. We simply have to dig deep into our well of faith and find the waters of eternal life flowing there for those who follow Him. I prayed for Josh this morning. I know Satan will try to use this innocent accident to defeat him again. Pray that he will be strong in the Lord. Pray for the family of the man who died.
