GOD’S
PERFECT BASEBALL GAME &
MY SON SHAY
At
a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled
children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a
speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After
extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question.
"Everything
God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot learn
things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other
children do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?" The
audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I
believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child
like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan
presents itself. And it comes in the way people treat that
child."
Then,
he told the following story:
Shay
and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me
play?" Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on
their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to
play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father
approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.
The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none,
he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by
six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on
our team and I'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."
In
the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was
still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a
glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he
was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to
ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and bases
loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to
be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this
juncture and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly,
Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but
impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the
plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay
could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay
swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward
to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung
at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher
picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to
the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended
the game.
Instead,
the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field,
far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling,
"Shay, run to first. Run to first." Never in his life had
Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled: "Run to second, run to
second!"
By
the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball.
He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the
right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he
threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran
towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled
the bases towards home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing
shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and
shouted, "Run to third!"
As
Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming,
"Shay! Run home." Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and
was cheered as the hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and
winning the game for his team. "That day," said the father
softly with tears now rolling down his face," the boys from both
teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."
Source:
Author Unknown
