The Chicago Cubs are heading to their third straight NLCS after coming out on top 9-8 in last night’s Game 5 against the Washington Nationals.
With both teams laying it all on the line, reporter Jeff Passan used this intriguing headline in his article on YahooSports.com: “Nationals, Cubs Witness Cruelty and Glory of Baseball in One Incredible Game.”
That is a great description of last night's game. Each team had strong pitching, key hits, costly mistakes, favorable bounces, and heartbreaking plays at different times...and experienced both excitement and disappointment, as a result.
The Cubs jumped out 1-0 in the first, and then the Nationals rallied for four runs in the 2nd. The Cubs scored twice in the third and got hot in the fifth by bringing in four runs. They went back and forth the rest of the way, but the Cubs did just enough to hang on and get the win.
Jeff Passan went on to write in his article that “The game does this. It mends hearts just as it’s breaking them.” When we consider how each run and every error caused discouragement and joy at the same time, it's worth unpacking a similar view in life.
As followers of Jesus, we know that life can break our hearts because of our fallen world, but at the same time our hearts can be mended when we humble oursleves and surrender our brokenness to God.
Just as the game of baseball mends hearts while breaking them, God does the same thing with us. He'll use our discouragement to reveal His love, and as we trust Him, He will heal the pain.
A broken heart is one that can be made new, so if we believe God is working in our brokenness and using it to change us, joy can be found when God mends our broken heart.
The Bible says in Psalm 34:18 (NLT), "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed."
Psalm 147:3 (ESV) reminds us that "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
Today, as we recognize the joy found in disappointment because of the mending that God is doing in our brokenness, let’s rejoice that God’s glory ultimately outshines it all.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I admit I don’t like to be broken, but I know You work in my brokenness. I pray I’d find joy in the mending of my heart and the refining that’s taking place. I know I live in a fallen world, and sometimes hurt and pain happen because of sin, but even through that, I trust Your grace and comfort will bind my wounds. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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