Beating Traffic…And Missing the Moment

So, what’s on my mind?

I’ve been a Braves fan since I was a kid. I try to watch their games on TV as often as I can, but I rarely make it down to the stadium nowadays. I did, however, recently attend a close, low-scoring battle between the Braves and the Detroit Tigers. The Braves trailed just about the entire game…until the bottom of the 9th inning. The Braves were down 3-2 when Ozzie Albies drew a walk and Matt Olson followed with a towering 2-run, walk-off home run. The stadium erupted in cheers!

The fans were so loud I could hear it…from the parking lot. That’s right. I wasn’t there. Despite my philosophy that you don’t leave a game early, the majority of our group voted to leave at the end of the 8th in order to beat traffic. I missed out on what would’ve been a great memory…to beat traffic.

The reality is that it’s often not just a baseball problem. It’s a life problem. How often do we leave too early? Maybe not physically, but mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. We assume the outcome is already decided. We get impatient. We want to “beat the traffic” of inconvenience, discomfort, or uncertainty. So, we check out before the story is finished.

Scripture has a lot to say about staying the course. One of the clearest reminders comes from Galatians 6:9: “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” In other words, don’t head for the parking lot in the 8th inning. God has a way of doing some of His best work late in the game. Just when things look decided…just when it feels like nothing is changing…that’s often when something unexpected breaks through. But if we’ve already left, if we’ve already given up, we miss it.

I missed a walk-off home run. That’s disappointing. But missing what God might be doing because I’ve checked out too soon? That’s a much bigger loss. So maybe this week is a good time to ask: where am I tempted to leave early? Where do I need to stay just a little longer, maybe trust a little deeper, or hold on a little tighter? Because you never know…there just might be a walk-off moment coming.

May God hold you,
Rev Chris Hester