For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)
God’s grace is shown in so many ways, and today was no exception. I and approximately 150 other softball players descended on Dahl Fields for the Agathos Fundraiser Softball Tournament. Agathos Foundation works with churches in Southern Africa to support the orphans & widows left to survive in the wake of the overwhelming AIDS crisis. I had the privilege of visiting an Agathos-sponsored village that cares for about 30 orphans last year. Real live faces were put to the AIDS crisis in Africa, and they were faces of some amazing kids.
As I meditated on my game face for the day, my pride and competitive spirit rose within me. This was a fundraiser for charity, but wouldn’t it be nice to win! But then I thought about the kids – Zeppo, Asanda, little Kwanelli & so many others who live at the Agathos village. Kwanelli is the youngest kid at the orphanage, about 2 or 3 years old. He has AIDS, passed on to him from his mother - a fact that has brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. How could I seek my own glory in only wanting to win, when I have met a little boy who has so much to battle? Kwanelli came to mind several times when I was up to bat – this one is for Kwanelli!
Thank you Jesus for your gracefully allowing me the chance to play for these kids.
But there was something so much bigger to play for than those awesome kids - the Lord Jesus’ glory. I was privileged to play on a team called Lil’ Grace. With clever intentions, our team shirts had ‘SIN’ in big letters, with the ‘I’ dotted with a little ‘grace’. We had to correct our softball competitors at times when they called us the ‘sin’ team – although technically correct, we had a different spin on it. A little grace from the hands of an all powerful God is enough to cover our sin – no matter how big it is.
Thank you Jesus for your grace in allowing us to show Your glory by conveying an aspect of the gospel to team-mates & competitors.
Lil’ Grace was composed of several players from the Mars Hill Outdoors softball teams. Before today, I had not met the large majority of my team mates. Even though I usually played infield, I played catcher because today there were better infielders to take my place. This realization became clear to me as I watched my team-mates dive and catch hard hit balls seemingly out of thin air. It was cool to watch plays unfold, watch balls get blasted out of the strike zone, and not have to worry as much about fielding balls, or a ball coming and catching me in the shins at second base.
Thank you Lord Jesus for your grace in allowing me the chance to play with my team and to learn more about the game of softball.
Then there were the countless other scenes of grace. Warm sunshine, water to drink, camaraderie and encouragement from team-mates, BBQ, laughter, visiting with friends old and new, prayer before and after games, and humor were all gifts from God I enjoyed this day.
So, you may ask, what is the end of the story? Lil’ Grace ended up bringing home the fine feathered 1st place trophy, beating ‘The Vine’ late in the day.
‘This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.’
I cannot equate winning a softball tourney with gaining salvation, but I see a little grace granted in the gift of a tournament championship – something that I can ultimately only attribute to God’s grace because He’s the one who gave us arms, legs and ability in the first place. May all glory be given to the Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us.
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