All That Matters

I love baseball. I coached my sons little league teams, watched it for years, gone to countless games, and admired some truly great players.

One of those men was Al Worthington.

Al passed away on June 18 at the age of 97. Most baseball fans will remember him as an outstanding Major League pitcher. He played alongside legends like Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Harmon Killebrew, and Rod Carew. He pitched in two World Series, led the American League in saves at age 39, and retired after a remarkable career that most players only dream about.

But that's not what made Al Worthington's life extraordinary.

What defined Al's life was that after coming to faith in Christ at age 29 during a Billy Graham Crusade, he decided that baseball would no longer be his purpose. It would simply become the platform God had given him to tell people about Jesus.

You see, every one of us has a platform. For some it's sports. For others it's business, medicine, teaching, raising children, or serving in the military. Wherever God has you, the question isn't whether you have a platform, but what are you doing with it?

Al understood something many Christians never do. Success is not measured by worldly standards. Success is measured by your faithfulness and obedience to Jesus Christ.

When his family went through his belongings after he died, they found very little. He had no fortune. Few possessions. He had even sold his World Series rings years before because they simply weren't that important to him. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Matthew 6:19-20

That's exactly what Al Worthington did.

One day, when all of baseball's records have been forgotten and every Hall of Fame plaque has gathered dust, there will still be something still standing that is eternal, and that is the people who came to know Jesus Christ because one faithful baseball player refused to waste the platform God had given him, even though it cost him here on earth.

Friend, if your life ended today, what would people say mattered most to you? Your career? Your hobbies? Your possessions? Or Jesus?

At the end of our lives, it won't matter how many games we won, how much money we made, or how many people knew our name. All that will matter is what we did for the honor and glory of God.

My prayer is that when my race is over, and when yours is over, may we hear what Al heard when he stood before the Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Matthew 25:21