Boom goes the dynamite...

Josh Hamilton is one of the hottest players in baseball right now. On Tuesday he hit 4 home runs in a single game which is one of the rarest feats in baseball. Not only that but Hamilton hit a home run in his last at bat on Monday. So he hit 5 home runs in 6 at bats. In the one at bat that he didn't hit a home run he hit a double. Hamilton went 8 for 17 with 6 home runs and 11 RBI in a 4 game series against the Orioles.

Josh Hamilton is also a great story about second chances. He struggled with drugs and alcohol addiction before his major league baseball career even got started. Hamilton credits his faith as a Christian in giving him the ability to overcome his addictions. He has admitted to a couple of relapses with alcohol but has been able to stay away from drugs. I appreciate his story because he does not try to portray himself as a perfect person but as a broken person trying to rely on the grace of God on a day by day basis.

I came across a great blog post by Dr. Matthew Hoskinson on Josh Hamilton. Dr. Hoskinson does an analysis of Hamilton's interview on the ESPN show Pardon The Interruption. Here is the interview:

 

While I liked all of Dr. Hoskinson's analysis it was his final two points that really stuck out:

6. Josh admitted his brokenness. He did not run from admitting he is still a sinner. We sometimes think that perfection is required in order to be a witness. In that case, none of us—from Peter on down through history—would qualify. You don’t have to be perfect, much less pretend to be perfect. Such pretension runs counter to the gospel. Instead, let us be humble witnesses, humbly admitting regularly that we are so broken that we cannot fix ourselves. And by so doing let us direct others’ attention to the Rescuer.

7. Josh isn’t the Rescuer. It’s easy to become infatuated with Christian athletes, whether Josh Hamilton or Tim Tebow or Jeremy Lin. We think, “How much good for the gospel they could do! I hope they don’t fall.” But how quickly we forget that they are broken and sinful like we are. We shouldn’t be surprised when they stumble and fall. Certainly let’s pray that God would protect them from the Adversary. But let us not put our hopes for revival in our nation in these good, godly men. Josh isn’t the Rescuer. Tim isn’t the Savior. Jeremy isn’t the Christ. Let us enjoy these good gifts and give glory to the Giver.

It can be really easy to hold those that are most visible to a much higher standard than we are willing to hold ourselves to. What is important to remember is that Josh Hamilton isn't a hero or a super-Christian; he is a fallen human being who needs a savior just like everyone else. What is impressive is how well he understands and expresses that fact.