Ted Williams was one of baseball’s greatest hitters, perhaps the greatest hitter of all time. His work ethic and his skill as a craftsman of the game of baseball were beyond approach. Coupled with his natural talent he became such a disciplined force at the plate the likes of which baseball had never seen before. However, this great hitter did not seek out or even appreciate the love of the fans who allowed him to play the game he loved. Which brings us to his last plate appearance . . .
After Ted Williams hit his final home run, the fans stood and expressed their admiration. Their ovation lasted a long time, a homage to one of the all-time greats who had ever worn the Red Sox uniform, yet the object of their adoration remained steadfast in hiding, choosing to reside in the bullpen, refusing to acknowledge the praise swelling in volume and finally engulfing Fenway Park. This is the scene that John Updike painted with the words, "Gods do not answer letters".
Arrogance, I've found, is much easier to spot in others, less easy to appraise in my own life. A lot of people have weighed Ted Williams and found him to be ungrateful and prideful, even in his last plate appearance as a baseball player. Maybe there were reasons, good reasons behind the animosity that Ted Williams felt the way he did about his fans.
But the line that John Updike penned is what I want to discuss for a few moments. Those words have taken on a much different meaning as I've grown older. I'm so grateful that my God not only answers my prayers but that He wrote me an entire love letter called "The Bible". Filled with stories of men and women just like you and me that have risen and fallen in their personal journeys and tied together with the thread of God's love. My pride, my arrogance, my rebellion all resulted in Jesus dying on that cross to buy my freedom. Because of that sacrifice I have hope that my God will answer my cries and I have a book of His promises to remind me when the world shouts otherwise. True greatness doesn't reside in any accomplishment that our world can measure. The Bible says that to gain our life, we must lose it. We must die to our goals, aspirations, and desires. However this trade is immeasurably one-sided. We gain peace, love, an eternity with God in His perfect creation, and so much more! And that is, in my opinion, worth far more than we could ever hope or imagine in our short lives here on earth.
