THE PERFECT GAME........LIFE

WITNESS

8-9-13

THE PERFECT GAME---THE PERFECT LIFE

On a rainy---muggy night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

In late May of 1959

A 33-year-old left-handed journeyman---pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates

Threw what many consider to be

The greatest game ever pitched

2000 years ago

A man lived

What many consider to be

The greatest life ever lived

A life of kindness

A life of compassion

A life of forgiveness

And a life of love---FOR ALL

The first man---Harvey Haddix---from---Medved, Ohio

Threw a perfectly pitched game of baseball

For 12 innings

Not just for nine innings---but for twelve innings

               27 batters up---27 batters down

               30 batters up---30 batters down

               ……..well you get the idea

Then in the bottom of the 13^th inning

A usually sure-handed third baseman

By the name of Don Hoak makes an error

And the Pirates lose

Yet in my mind---STILL

The greatest game ever pitched

2000 years ago

A man in my mind

Lived the greatest life ever lived

A live full of compassion and kindness

Compassion means

To have pity for

And to show kindness to another

“Let us not become weary

In doing good
For at the proper time

We will reap a harvest

If we do not give up

Therefore

As we have opportunity

Let us do good to all people

Especially to those

Who belong to the family of believers”                                    Galatians 6:9-10

And HOW did Christ live his life?

“Jesus went through

All the towns and villages

Preaching the good news of the kingdom

And healing every disease and sickness

When he saw the crowd

He had compassion on them

Because they were harassed and helpless

Like sheep without a shepherd”                                                     Matthew 9:35-36

And what about forgiveness?

In his dying breath, Jesus said,

“Father, forgive them

For they do not know

What they are doing”                                                                       Luke 23:34

An innocent man---freely and innocently

Giving up his life for all

“My command is this

Love each other

As I have loved you

Greater love has no one

Than to lay down his life

For his friends

Today you are my friends

If you do what I command”                                                   John 15:13&14

In 1994 Harvey Haddix died

With his game

Not even being recorded as a perfect game

Due to changes in baseball rules in 1991

Yet in my mind

STILL---the greatest game ever pitched

Jesus Christ died

Some 2000 years ago

Yet---in my mind

STILL---the greatest life ever lived

AND MY LORD---MY SAVIOR---AND MY GOD

In a world that has gone mad

With materialism

With sexual lust

And with “scientific miracles”

I feel that like Harvey

The world is trying to REMOVE

HIS name from the record books

“TODAY I CALL YOU FRIEND”

Robert P. Wallman

2-7-12

Ps         WITNESS        8-9-13