The Yankees Win! The Yankees Win!

I am a long time New Yorker, and a die-hard Yankee fan. I support the team when they win, and when they lose--a rare, true fan. I learned it from my mom, who has been a Yankee fan for as long as I can remember, and my two daughters are die-hard Yankee fans after us. My oldest daughter is expecting our first grandchild in December, and I’ve already bought him a Yankee onesie, a Yankee sweat-suit, and a teeny, little Rodriguez tee shirt!

The good news is that the Yankees just paraded down the Canyon of Champions in New York City. I watched it on TV, and part of me wished I was there, but a bigger part is glad I wasn’t-the crowd being three million strong. Many people kept their kids out of school to travel hours to get to the parade. Everyone wants to celebrate the Yankees 27th World Series. The energy of the crowd in the city is tangible, even from the TV. The crowd stayed long to see the Yankees receive the key to the city from the mayor. What a great day!

During the series, most of my friends and family were glued to their TV’s, and either talking on the phone, texting one another, IM’ing, or changing their facebook status’s according to the way the games were going. The Philly’s were going down, every New Yorker knew it! Still, the tension and stress my younger daughter and I felt during the games was thick! Every game was a nail-biter, and when it came to the last out of game six, I don’t think we remembered to breathe!

I don’t think our heavenly Father minds all the fun. I firmly believe the Lord is a Yankee fan! But beside all the fun, it makes me wonder. As people of God, if we took all that tension and stress that we felt during the games against the competition, and pointed it toward the enemy of our souls, what kind of damage would we do to the kingdom of darkness? If we were persuaded that it was as important to win souls as it was to win the series from the Phillies, how many more would spend eternity with the Lord?

How is it that we pull for our favorite team with all the energy we can muster, and yet, are complacent and lazy about team Jesus, and gaining the win for His side? We stayed up later than we should until each game was over, but complain if a church service goes a little too long for our liking. And heaven forbid we have to travel to get to church, but some people traveled across two state lines to get to games. Some even went to the stadium in the Bronx where they could watch the away games on the big screen. It was a matter of being together to route for and fight for the win.

I’m just saying, and I’m speaking to myself as well as I am you. I’m beside myself that the Yankees won the World Series, I really am. But winning just one soul for the Kingdom of God makes this championship dull in comparison. Baseball is one of those temporal things that will be as hay and stubble. Our conquests for the Kingdom of God are eternal. We need to route for and fight for the win with everything we have.
Just think about it for a minute. Maybe dedicate this week during your quiet time to asking the Father how you can use all that wonderful, sports-loving energy toward the plans and purposes God has for you.

“Ballgame over! The Yankees win!” Kingdom building is just beginning! We all win!

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