Beyond Disappointment
Theme of the Week: God's Sandpaper
Monday, August 3, 2009
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that … this hope will not lead to disappointment (Romans 5:3, 5). Bonus Reading: Romans 5:1-5
Del Crandall was a catcher, mostly for the Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s and '60s. The eight-time All-Star was an integral part of their World Series teams in 1957 and '58. Considered the second-best catcher in the league, behind Roy Campanella, Crandall was a dedicated Christian.
"The dream of every ballplayer," Crandall told a Fellowship of Christian Athletes gathering, "is to have sons who outshine him in ability, going on to play the game and do even greater things. I certainly have such dreams.
"I have four sons," Crandall continued, "but two of them have mental retardation. At least one will never be able to play catch with me. This is exactly where Jesus makes a difference in my life—he came to help me handle my disappointments."
"Maybe," Crandall added, "these children were given to us because God knew we'd be strong enough to take care of them." Tears filled the eyes of the audience, ministered to not merely by an all-star ballplayer, but by a man with a deep sense of God's purpose in his life, who bore his thorn in the flesh as gracefully as he wore his chest protector and mask.
—Hugh Poland in Steal Away
My Response: Do my disappointments trigger resentment or biblical hope?
Adapted from What's So Amazing About Grace? (Zondervan, 1997) by permission.
Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Thank you, Lord, for receiving me just as I was. But thank you, also, for your insistence on reshaping me for maximum usefulness in your kingdom.
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