Daddy's Arms

No link today, I'm way too pumped about going to see the Detroit Tigers with my son, Matthew, in a few hours. This will be the first game I've been able to get to in a couple of seasons.

The weather forecast calls for a 40% chance of thunderstorms right about when the game is due to start, so pray it holds off, or is very brief.

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A talented young athlete, the son of a former major league star ballplayer, was going through some real struggles in the minor leagues and it was rumored he was going to be released any day.

During one game, he came to bat having already struck out once and quickly rang up two more easy strikes. Just then the catcher trotted off to have a quick conference with the pitcher. The umpire glanced over at the young batter and said, "You hold the bat just the way your father held it. I can see his genes in you. You have your father's arms."

On the next pitch the young man took a mighty swing and knocked the ball out of the park. His play improved remarkably, and soon he was called up to the major leagues.

When asked what changed his game, he gave credit to the umpire's words. "After that," he explained, "whenever I swung the bat I just imagined I was using my Daddy's arms instead of my own."

[from Night Light, A Devotion for Couples, by the Dobsons, via Wit and Wisdom]

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WISDOM for YOUR WEEK: "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him." (Psalm 103:13)

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