Only Jesus
I’m a Pittsburgh Pirates fan and a huge Paul Skenes fan (the best pitcher in baseball). So, I was elated when I saw that Skenes would be making a start in nearby Baltimore. I quickly bought a couple of tickets and was really looking forward to watching him pitch in person. But what I was even more excited about was my date to the game - my daughter, Taya.
Right before we left, I got word that Charlie Kirk had been assassinated. That, along with yet another school shooting and the news of a 23-year-old girl being stabbed on a train, made my heart unbearably heavy, especially as I drove down the road with my sweet, innocent girl sitting beside me.
I don’t have answers for what’s happening in our country. I’m at a loss. I want to believe it will get better, but 24 years ago today I was sitting in my 6th-grade English class, hearing about planes flying into the tallest buildings in New York City, the Pentagon, and one crashing into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania - only about 45 minutes from my school. Just this past May, I visited Dallas, Texas, and walked down the street where JFK was assassinated in 1963, almost 62 years ago now.
All that being said, I’m not so sure things are going to get much better in this sick, fallen world.
But after the 7th-inning stretch, Taya and I went to grab some Dippin’ Dots (her favorite). As we were walking up the stairs, a man caught a baseball tossed into the stands. He looked at me and asked, “This your girl?” I said, “Yes!” He handed her the baseball and said, “Since you’re a Pirates fan, here you go.” She was elated. Her smile could have lit up the whole world if they had seen it.
And maybe that’s the only thing we can really offer this broken world.
No, I’m not talking about giving out baseballs. I’m not even talking about being kinder to one another. Because no matter how kind we are, it can’t erase the pain and heartache we feel. “More kindness” alone isn’t powerful enough to cure the world.
But if we learn to have eyes to see it, that baseball, that moment, that smile - it’s a glimpse of His grace. A cool drink in the middle of the desert we’re wandering through. A reminder that evil will not stand and good will prevail. That seemingly insignificant moment points to something that IS powerful enough to make all things right. Something that IS powerful enough to bring light into the darkest places. Something that IS strong enough to heal the world forever.
It’s Jesus. Only Jesus. And if you watch and listen closely enough, even in the darkest of moments, He’s reminding us this won’t last forever. He’s whispering to us through His own tears and assuring us through these glimpses of grace, “I am coming soon.”
“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” —Psalm 27:13–14
Grace, Always Grace,
Pastor Tyler
Right before we left, I got word that Charlie Kirk had been assassinated. That, along with yet another school shooting and the news of a 23-year-old girl being stabbed on a train, made my heart unbearably heavy, especially as I drove down the road with my sweet, innocent girl sitting beside me.
I don’t have answers for what’s happening in our country. I’m at a loss. I want to believe it will get better, but 24 years ago today I was sitting in my 6th-grade English class, hearing about planes flying into the tallest buildings in New York City, the Pentagon, and one crashing into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania - only about 45 minutes from my school. Just this past May, I visited Dallas, Texas, and walked down the street where JFK was assassinated in 1963, almost 62 years ago now.
All that being said, I’m not so sure things are going to get much better in this sick, fallen world.
But after the 7th-inning stretch, Taya and I went to grab some Dippin’ Dots (her favorite). As we were walking up the stairs, a man caught a baseball tossed into the stands. He looked at me and asked, “This your girl?” I said, “Yes!” He handed her the baseball and said, “Since you’re a Pirates fan, here you go.” She was elated. Her smile could have lit up the whole world if they had seen it.
And maybe that’s the only thing we can really offer this broken world.
No, I’m not talking about giving out baseballs. I’m not even talking about being kinder to one another. Because no matter how kind we are, it can’t erase the pain and heartache we feel. “More kindness” alone isn’t powerful enough to cure the world.
But if we learn to have eyes to see it, that baseball, that moment, that smile - it’s a glimpse of His grace. A cool drink in the middle of the desert we’re wandering through. A reminder that evil will not stand and good will prevail. That seemingly insignificant moment points to something that IS powerful enough to make all things right. Something that IS powerful enough to bring light into the darkest places. Something that IS strong enough to heal the world forever.
It’s Jesus. Only Jesus. And if you watch and listen closely enough, even in the darkest of moments, He’s reminding us this won’t last forever. He’s whispering to us through His own tears and assuring us through these glimpses of grace, “I am coming soon.”
“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” —Psalm 27:13–14
Grace, Always Grace,
Pastor Tyler
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