So I wanted to take just a moment and brag on my son. Jacob played baseball this year for the first time since his kindergarten year. He has focused on basketball and soccer lately, but decided to try baseball again. His team this year was The Ironbirds in the 9-10 year-old Chaska League.
Jacob had a decent season in which he learned and grew a lot. His team showed a lot of promise throughout the season, but kept coming up short and managed to only win one game all season long. On Tuesday we started the season-ending playoff tournament. It is a double-elimination tournament, so we were guaranteed at least 2 games. We kicked things off on Tuesday with a one-run loss, which put us in the loser’s portion of the bracket with a need for a win on Thursday to move on to Saturday’s games.
The Thursday game was back and forth, but we came into the bottom of the 6th inning down by only 1. Our first guy got on base and then eventually made it home when the next hitter also got on base. That left us tied with the winning run on third. Our next two batters struck out, leaving us tied with 2 outs and my son Jacob coming up to the plate, and the winning run still on third. As a father I had some mixed emotions at this point. I was excited for my son to have a chance to win the game, but also a little nervous for him to be up to bat with such a crucial game situation on the line. An out would mean the end of the season for the Ironbirds, and a hit would mean a run and a win and the opportunity to keep playing in the playoffs.
So I was a nervous wreck, but Jacob was smooth and calm. He went up to the plate and hit a line drive up the middle past the pitcher and the 2nd baseman for a single, the game-winning RBI, and a walk off hit! The entire team and all the parents erupted with wild cheers. It was the most exciting game of the season and I was jumping up and down and cheering like a little kid.
That game proved to be the impetus we needed to continue on. We turned around and played inspired baseball on Saturday, winning the next two games by large margins. We finally lost in the championship game, after playing 3 straight games on Saturday. It was an exciting finish to a difficult season. After winning only 1 game all season long, we finished on a high note and came away with 2nd place for the year. And my son was one of the heroes of the playoffs.
I told him after the game that he will always remember that hit. And it should provide extra confidence for him the next time he gets in an important situation like that. He can always know that he came through in the clutch. Needless to say I was very proud of him. Of course, I always love my son, not because of what he does, but just because he is my son. But I am also watching his life, and there are times, like this past Thursday, when he does something special and while it doesn’t make me love him more, it does cause me to take a moment and point to him and say, “that’s my boy!”
And that got me started thinking. I can imagine God watching my life like I watch my son. He always loves me, not because of what I do, but simply because I am His son. But I would imagine there are those times in life, when I do something special, something that brings Him glory, and He points at me and says, “that’s my boy!” I hope there are plenty of times like that for Him.