Forgiveness is Always Right

Today’s reading: Matthew 18: 23-35

Little League Baseball has, in recent years, adopted an interesting approach to teaching the game to tee ball aged children. Tee ball teams, these days, are allowed an unlimited number of “outs,” and no one keeps track of how many runs they score. Teams simply stay on offense until every player has had a turn to bat. When every player on both teams has taken three turns at the plate, the game is over. No winner is declared, and, in the games I’ve seen anyway, everyone goes home happy.

Though I often hear it criticized as teaching an unrealistic lesson about life, I believe this approach is in keeping with Jesus’s teachings such as the one in today’s reading. This approach was not yet in practice during my own tee-ball days, but I wish it had been. I think I might have learned a few important life lessons more quickly as a result. Keeping score as Jesus encourages is a practical, a-moral, matter, but our world has managed to turn it into a spiritual, highly-moral, affair.  But God sees us all as winners, so I, for one, don’t see the point in trying to out think God.

I remember feeling resentful, throughout my Little League years, of players who made errors that cost my team a win. I recall many hours of wondering — often aloud, with plenty of support from other teammates —  why the coaches would continue to let these kids play, “when all they’re doing is screwing up our chances to win.”

I would never apply this same principal to myself, of course. I never managed to remember the times I struck out or missed a ball that had come right to my glove (or the time I walked in 12 runs in one inning and 10 in the next. I always recalled that game as the one in which I struck out 15 batters.)

Frustration with my baseball team mates, in fact,  is why I turned to tennis in my teens.  Baseball had taught me that I simply could not count on other people. Team sports were not for me! Someone on my team would always let me down.  (I did get assigned by my tennis coaches to play doubles from time to time, but I always did my best to get out of it.)

If I had learned, during my most impressionable years, to put scoring and record keeping in proper perspective — to view it as Christ taught us — I’m confident I would not have disappointed many in my life who saw great potential in my baseball pitching.

These days the much more mature Don has returned to his love of baseball. But, when I get a chance to play, I always make sure my team mates know I am terrible at the game, and that winning isn’t all that important to me. Winning, likewise, is not of huge importance to me in tennis either. While chasing a victorious moment (such as the one I had just last night in a very tough-come-from-behind win) is exciting, it is, by no means the focus of my play.

In fact, I’ve learned, the only focus of my play should be, well, play.

I think all of this is why I am excited about my Houston Astros this year. Those guys have lost more than 100 games two years in a row, yet,  just yesterday, I told one of their ticket sales people that I am strongly considering a season-ticket package this year. I drove 200 miles to see 5 games last year, and I can’t remember if they won or lost those games. (Given their season record, the chances are strong that they lost.) My goal is to make it out to at least 10 games this year. And, because I’ll probably be introducing the team to a tee-baller in the family this year,  I almost hope they have another losing season. It’ll be great for him to learn to cheer for a loser!

The next time I’m tempted to be impatient with a team member of mine who has made a mistake (whether it be in a sport or any sort of project), I pray that God will help me remember this: “And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.” (Verse 27)

Thanks be to God for the gift of forgiveness. May I learn to give that gift as much as I receive it.