The Pain of Yesterday

I was watching the Rangers game the other night and saw a foul ball hit to left field.  Josh Hamilton goes to pick it up and tosses it to the ballgirl instead of turning to throw it over the back fence.  I can't help but wonder if he doesn't feel some pain every time that happens.  If you don't know the story, Hamilton picked up a foul ball a few weeks ago and tossed it to a fan in the stands behind the left field wall.  The fan reached out to catch it, lost his balance, fell over the fence 20 feet below hitting his head and died soon after.  His young son (6 years old I believe) was sitting next to his dad when it happened.  Now, Hamilton did what we hope every pro player will do - toss us something we can hang onto.  I don't know Josh Hamilton but believe him to be a compassionate man and I can't help but think he wishes he would have held onto the ball that Shannon Stone missed that fateful night.  When I saw him toss a ball to the ballgirl the other night, I couldn't help but think he still feels the pain of that one toss.  And I wondered about that little boy and his family and whether they would attend more baseball games in the future.  A father and son, a baseball game, hot dogs and Josh Hamilton standing in front of you.  What's better than that kind of night?  Then it turns to pain. 


I assume that to be true because I've tossed a lot of balls in my past I wish I would have held onto.  Not real balls, but something that I did that turned out bad, that turned out to bring pain in my life I didn't expect, didn't think about, certainly didn't want.  Then, each time a similar situation comes up or some trigger reminds me about that toss I made, I am revisited by the pain.  There are times where I deserved the pain and there are times where the pain comes from something that was supposed to be good.  Either way, I wish I could have held onto that ball.


I trust Josh Hamilton's faith will help him keep moving forward but my guess is he will never thrown another ball over that back fence because it's pain he doesn't want to revisit.  I trust my faith will get me through the times I feel the pain and I trust that God will be at work to mend the wounds and help me know that the pain is nothing compared to the goodness and a life without pain that is waiting for me. 


Grace and peace to you.