the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Daily Devotionals
Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
For as long as I can remember I have been a sports fan. My father before me was a sports fan. Being raised in the state of Ohio, my teams were, of course, the Ohio State University sports teams, the Cincinnati Redlegs, the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Royals. You may be wondering about the Redlegs and the Royals.
The Royals were the old National Basketball Association team located in Cincinnati. They moved westward and became the Kansas City Royals (about the time that the baseball team of the same name began) and then on to the west coast to become the Sacramento Kings. The Redlegs started out as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, then becames the Redlegs and now just go by, you guessed it, the Reds.
The Reds were my first passion as baseball was my first game. I have lived and died with the Reds. I remember their demise at the hand of the hated Yankees back in the early 60s when I thought they were the best team in baseball. With the likes of Bob Purkey, Joey Jay, Gordy Coleman, Ted Kluszewski and a young Frank Robinson, I thought they were just the best. Then came Johnny Edwards and Sammy Ellis and Jim O'Toole and Pete Rose and Johnny Bench and Deron Johnson and Gary Nolan. I loved them all.
Today I am supporting a team that seems to stay up late at night to think of ways to lose games. They blew another one last night as Aaron Harang pitched three hit, one run ball through the eighth inning only to be replaced with a 5-1 lead and watch as the Reds gave up four runs in the ninth and then lost the game in the thirteenth inning. It's frustrating because the outcome is never what I think it will be. Enter God.
I am sometimes frustrated with God because I don't always know what He's doing. Hallelujah to the fact that He does know. Many times my second guesses of the managers and coaches of my sports teams have been proven right. With God, I'm always wrong and He's right. And I like it that way. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways." Isaiah 55:8 It's nice to know that I don't need to second guess God. By the way, I already know the final score; we win.
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' Copyright 2010 © Tom Kelley. 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with their complete bio and a link to https://www.studylight.org/ 2) 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
