Thoughts

I'm sitting here, watching the Home Run Derby, and I'm near tears.

Why?

I am so emotional about the show Josh Hamilton just put on. Just listening to the Yankee fans cheer him on, seeing other players in awe, and listening to the announcers go crazy touched my heart.

Even if you're not a baseball fan, you have to hear this story.

Josh Hamilton was the Number 1 pick in 1999. He was obviously HIGHLY touted. But he fell into the wrong crowd and wasted away his $4 million signing bonus on alcohol, cocaine, and heroine. And before he knew it, he was high for about 3 years straight. He got tattoos, he had his truck stolen, he would wake up didn't know whether he was coming or going. In short, his life was more or less over and it was all his fault. He was out of baseball, had no money, and was addicted to drugs.

But it's amazing how God can use anybody and everybody for His glory. After 2005, Hamilton came out of it and got clean and rededicated himself to Christ. He still has the tattoos, even though he hates them. But he keeps them because he knows it's part of his story. He acknowledges his mistakes and knows his poor decisions put him in that position. But how great to see someone rise up above it all. He was in the depths of despair, and God helped pull him out and brought him back to life.

Yes, he's now one of the game's best hitters and one of the lead candidates for Most Valuable Player. But that's not what matters. It's his story of faith that makes Josh Hamilton a winner.

Now, he shares his story with anybody who will listen. He speaks to kids, groups, adults, druggies, parents, etc. And each time he tell his story, he shares how God has touched his life. Even tonight, immediately after hitting a record 28 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby, his first words were, "It's amazing, over the past few years, what God has done in my life and how quickly he has done it." And at the conclusion of the Derby (he lost), he said, "I'll glorify Him in every way I can."

You might not be in the exact same situation, but the same amazing story of redemption God has given Josh Hamilton can happen to you too.