The Third Spot
Theme of the Week: Know Who You Are
Hugh Poland
Monday, June 18, 2007
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: Don't … push for a place among the great. It is better to wait for an invitation than to be sent to the end of the line, publicly disgraced Proverbs 25:6-7! Bonus Reading: Luke 14:7-11
Filling out the lineup card, a manager usually positions the best hitter on the team third. For 15 years, the Astros had the "Killer Bs" in Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. Biggio, with an excellent on-base percentage, usually batted leadoff or second, and Bagwell almost always batted third. Houston fans loved the results: Bagwell was a league leader in RBIs, and Biggio at the top in runs scored.
Until the aging process and a slump in statistics led a new manager to shuffle Bagwell from hitting third, to fifth, then to sixth.
Many ballplayers would've sulked at being moved down in the lineup, spout off excuses to the news media, or immediately demand a trade. Not Bagwell. Jeff—always quick to accept the blame for team failure and to pass on the praise for his successes—let the blame fall squarely on his shoulders (including the arthritic one). He simply said he hoped it would make the team better, adding, "It's not about me."
[Today's Key Bible Verse] reminds us that it's better to show up in the clubhouse assuming you're going to bat sixth, and then get surprised that you're hitting third. Better this than the other way around.
—Hugh Poland in Steal Away
My Response: I'll ask God to help me accept His lineup card for my life today.
Adapted from Steal Away (Judson, 2006) by permission.
Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
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Lord, grant me a clearer view of myself that includes both giftedness and fallenness.
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