‘All-Star Week’
I Was Thinking…
You may or you may not be a baseball fan. I am more than a fan…I’m an avid fan. As we know the Atlanta Braves home baseball park, SunTrust Park, is located within our Atlanta-Marietta District. Their home is our home.
This week is All-Star week and the best of the best professional baseball players gather in Cleveland, Ohio to play the annual All-Star game. Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna, Jr., Mike Soroka and Brian Snitker will represent the Braves as All-Stars. Congrats to our guys as they go north to shine and make us proud.
When the limelight shines on certain people they become larger than life…and in some ways, we see them as ‘superhuman’ when they are simply talented in a particular way. It is easy to forget that they live lives with hopes and dreams just like the rest of us…albeit in the spotlight.
I am particularly proud that the Atlanta Braves manager, Brian Snitker has become accomplished as a major league manager (last year the National League Manager of the Year). Brian is a great guy. When our middle son was attempting to hone the craft of baseball pitcher as a teenager a friend who knew Brian asked him to visit with our Chris on the baseball field to offer any coaching advice that might help in the honing of his craft. Brian gave us a couple hours of his time. He was gracious, kind, helpful, encouraging and simply a gentleman. He gave Chris the ‘pat on the back’ that stayed with him for quite some time. I will never forget it. Neither will Chris. Brian may not even remember it. But we do.
Just as the 2018 Manager of the Year, 2019 All-Star Coach made a young man and his father’s day some 20 years ago, so can you and I offer a ‘pat on the back’ that someone may need this week. We may or may not be ‘famous’ and miles from any spotlight, but we can be vessels of encouragement to those who need to know they are important and that they offer value to the world.
We will not all be All-Stars. As a matter of fact, most of us won’t be. But we can help launch stars into a great day, week and life. We are vessels of Jesus who came ‘not to condemn the world but that world through him might find life.’ (John 3:17)
This is ‘All-Star Week’. I don’t know a better encourager than the one who was born under a star. Look for those whom you may ‘pat on the back’ this week. Only God knows the difference it may make in their life.
Always Thinking…
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