Acts 1:8
But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
NIV
Shay was a very "special" young boy. He and his father had walked past a park
where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think
they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not
want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if
his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of
belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his
handicaps. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
inning." Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile,
put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth
in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind
by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the
right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just
to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father
waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team
scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning
run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do
they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly,
Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because
Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the
ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that
the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took
a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in,
Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could
have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and
that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball
right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all of his team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to
first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he
made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath,
Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the
ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the
hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the
tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw
the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base
deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were
screaming, "Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay!" Shay reached third base
because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction
of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third!" As
Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and the spectators were on their
feet screaming, "Shay, run home! Run home!" Shay ran to home base,
stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and
won the game for his team. "That day," said the father softly with
tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a
piece of true love and humanity into this world." Shay didn't make it to
another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and
making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully
embrace her little hero of the day! It is time for every one of us to step out
of the box, step out of or comfort zone, step out of the church setting and
really be Jesus Christ to the world. What do you have to lose? Nothing - it's
all His anyway. We just have to live like we really believe that what we
believe is really real.
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