I love everything about baseball...except one thing.

I love baseball. I could watch it all day. I could read as many books or ESPN articles as you would put in front of me. I would love it if it was all year round (kind of like much of America seems to be doing with the NFL now) so I would have games every day of the year. I love the history of the game. I love the amazing and unexpected things that seem to happen every week. I love the beauty of the field, the duel of pitcher and batter, the dimensions of the diamond that make the stolen base a challenge and yet not impossible. I love going to games. I love listening to games on the radio...any teams. I love being able to flip between three or four games on TV. I love talking about it, debating it-the players, teams, rules, etc. I love everything about it. Except one thing.

I don't love that it can distract me...or even enslave me. It can become a god. I want to enjoy the players and the game, not worship them. But sometimes it feels that way. And tonight was a good example of how I/we can get so wrapped up and focused on the fun of baseball that we push God out of His rightful place as the center of life.

This wasn't dramatic or anything, but as one of my roommates and I were debating Hall of Fame worthy players--who's in, who's out, what about so-and-so, etc.--our other roommate, who had come in, finally said, "God is putting some stuff on my heart and I could use some prayer...". Now, this didn't upset me, even though I would have enjoyed more baseball talk. And we ended up having a great time of discussion and prayer together. But we also noted that we end up spending so much time talking about ultimately worthless things (like whether Mike Mussina has been merely a good player for a long time or a truly great player deserving of a place with those in the Hall--for the record, I don't see him as great) that sometimes we miss those opportunities for where God is leading. Miss opportunities to really get into life issues with each other and seek God's face together...it's a lot easier most of the time to talk about what the Tiger's chances are of making the playoffs this year or which team's injuries are the most devastating than to really engage with one another about God. Praying together is a big one of those.

How many times have I not wanted to interupt my roommates or inconvenience someone else with initiating praying together or bringing up heart stuff? Or how many times have I been so wrapped up in reading articles or watching a game or talking Hot Stove League speculation and not been "available" for my roommates and friends? And how many times have I decided not to read my Bible, but to read about the history of the Cardinals or about sabermetrics...not just once, but a week in a row or more?

Baseball is great. And beautiful. God wants us tobe able to enjoy it. But when it begins to come before Him or keeps us from really being attentive to Him and what he is doing around us...well, that is a problem. That is the one thing about baseball that I don't like.
May we all enjoy baseball, but never in place of God.