I had a nice lunch with a friend of mine today. At the pizza place we were eating at, they had a few TV's with ESPN on. I noticed the special segment they were running was on bloopers of the week. They highlighted a second baseman from the Mets who dropped a foul ball and cost them the game against the Yankees. Another player, from a team who I used to love - the Cubs - caught a fly ball in the outfield, and thinking it was the third out, tossed it into the stands for a lucky fan. Unfortunately for him, there were only two outs and a man on base - who subsequently scored.
After watching the plays 3 to 4 times (since ESPN loves to over-analyze), I started to wonder how long those players would have to hear from the fans about their mistakes. Even more, how long would these guys punish themselves?
Although I am not a Major League baseball player who plays on national television, I have made my fair share of mistakes as a Husband, Dad, Pastor, etc. But I have had a few that were extra embarrassing ones as well as some that have hurt myself or others a great deal. Haven't we all? It's those big mistakes that really stick. The type of mistakes that cause us and others to analyze them over and over again. Their the ones that make us wish we had a rewind button, or better yet, one of the deneurolizers from "Men in Black" that we could use on everyone we know.
One of the many reassurances that we have from the Bible is that our mistakes, no matter how big or embarrassing, can be wiped away for good by God through his Son Christ. Scriptures tell us that when we take our biggest mistakes to Christ for forgiveness, "He will remember them no more" (Hebrews 10:16-18).
But sometimes I forget this, and as a result, I punish myself for while. I soak up the guilt until I almost drown. With my head just above water, I realize God is just waiting to wipe the guilt and shame away forever and make the slate clean again. Then, I finally let it go and move on.
So I guess these two fielders reminded me again that even our biggest mistakes can be forgotten by our God and Savior. No matter how big, He is ready and willing to give us a clean slate. It's up to us though, to let go and forgive ourselves. As for the Cubs and Mets fans? That will take a few big hits, home runs and diving catches to earn their forgiveness. I guess we can all be thankful that God is neither a Mets, nor a Cubs fan. http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5025941
