Loving Sacrifice

Yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day around Major League Baseball. All players wore his number 42 (Robinson's number) to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of when he broke the color barrier in baseball. This morning on ESPN, they showed a special clip about the impact Jackie had on the game and on this country. They showed different ceremonies in different ballparks around the country. They truly honored him.

Yet, the thing that stuck out to me was an interview that was done with his wife at one of the games yesterday. She said something like this about the early years of her husband's career, "I would sit in the stands and I would hear all the hateful words being yelled at my husband. I would just sit taller in my seat, hopeful that I would be able to block the words from my husband's ears."

Is that cool or what? Those words hurt her and she knew they would hurt her husband. She wanted to take on the hurt so that her husband wouldn't have to. This is true loving sacrifice.

I have heard it said many times that "behind every great man is a great woman." That certainly appears to be the case with Jackie Robinson.

I can tell you that I have a great woman behind me. As we embark on a new and exciting journey in our lives with Truth At Work and some other things God is leading us to, Connie is truly coming alongside me, praying for me, supporting me, loving me and truly being a Proverbs 31 woman. I am so thankful for that!

The truth is, no one can do it alone. So who can you come alongside, pray for, love and support today?

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

Proverbs 31:10-11

Encouragement

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Have you ever been really in a tough spot or really down about something? Have you ever had someone do something or say something during one of those times that really encouraged you? It feels good doesn't it?

We are commanded to do that to one another, including those we work with - even if they drive us crazy!

As we approach the 60 year anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball (April 15), I thought this story was very appropriate:

Jackie Robinson was one of the first African Americans to play major league baseball. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson faced hostility nearly everywhere he traveled because of his race. Pitchers threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases. Brutal epithets were written on cards and shouted by players in the opposing dugouts. Even the home crowds in Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach.

While racial prejudice has declined since that time, it still is a factor in today’s society. During one game in Boston, the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. To make matters worse, Robinson committed an error and stood at second base humiliated while fans hurled insults at him. Another Dodger, a Southern white man by the name of “Pee Wee” Reese, called timeout. He walked over to Robinson and, with the crowds looking on, put his arm around his friend’s shoulder. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career. Jackie Robinson eventually went on to become one of baseball’s all-time greats.

Heroes appear under different names at different times and different circumstances, but from my perspective Pee Wee Reese was a hero and a gentleman. He did the right thing in the right way for the right reason. The bottom line is he saved one man’s career, increased the dignity of others, and as a practical matter was a significant factor in integration by his impact for his stand for fairness and justice. He was a difference maker for sure!

From Steve Goodier’s popular book, Prescription for Peace.