It is baseball season and some headlines are disturbing regarding America’s Pastime.  The “cheating” incidents are of concern, but so are the complaints by superstars about their teammates or management. We have grown accustomed to star players wanting to move to other teams so they can win a championship.  Whenever teams “load up” with those players, I quietly (most of the time) cheer for a smaller market, a lesser-financed team to knock them off on the way to winning the championship. You NBA fans know all about this trend.

Since moving from New England and away from my beloved Fenway Park to Coors Field in Denver, I became a Rockies fan.  They were different and though always the underdog I grew to like them as my National League bestie.  Now, perhaps the greatest third baseman of all time is vocal about his complaints with the management team, and thus his teammates in the mile-high city. He wants to play for a winner but apparently feels that the team they have cannot get back to where they were with back to back playoff appearances two and three years ago.  I get that, but some of the greatest baseball players of all time played without winning a World Series, like Ted Williams with the Red Sox, and Tony Gwynn with the Padres.  Both played their entire careers with one team. They both played on some poorly performing teams and it wasn’t always easy for them with teammates, fans, and management.  And Williams missed five seasons to military duty.  They didn’t get paid then as they do today, but military pay was still far less than professional baseball wages. As one of the greatest hitters of all time, he surely could have justified complaints.

Today’s athletes who sometimes complain or ask to be traded so to win a championship, make me think of a different story.  A story about Ron Archer that I recently read in The Epoch Times newspaper.  Ron survived a horrible childhood after being birthed by a prostitute who allegedly attempted to abort him multiple times.  He grew up in poverty and abuse. But Ron listened and believed that he could be someone different and so he did.  He is now successful and helps others overcome great obstacles to turn their lives around.

He turned tragedy into triumph in his life and is helping others do the same.

One of Ron’s teachers showed him verses in the old testament bible (Jeremiah 1:4-5) that “upended his inner world”. According to The Epoch Times, Archer said: “In essence, that one scripture says, “Ronaldo, it doesn’t matter who your parents are.  It doesn’t matter how you were conceived. It doesn’t matter how you were born. God says, ‘I’m your parent, your father, and I planted you in that particular situation for a divine assignment.’  “The promise of God – it was my oxygen, it was my air, it was my hope, it was my light, it was my truth.  It was my father; it was my mother … It’s all I had to build me up.” Archer believed that he was meant for a special purpose which became his powerful anchor. Oh yes, he also had a stuttering problem, was bullied and did very poorly in school prior to his belief in his purpose.

A special-purpose!  Not to pick on Nolan Arenado, because he is one of my favorite players, but think of the contrast between Nolan’s and Ron’s lives. Nolan has won a significant number of awards each of his first seven years in Major League Baseball.  Of course, his performance is purposeful and surely incredibly entertaining.  And he also has an eight-year contract worth $260 million.  He claimed to be “disrespected” this offseason when management didn’t spend money to improve the team. Ron’s life, as he put it, was “ruled by ghetto economics”. It was all about survival and not being found out or thrown into jail. His babysitter showed him respect (NOT) by putting a broom handle “where the sun don’t shine” as he put it. I don’t know about you, but I prefer Nolan’s disrespect.  No offense intended! And yet, Ron has overcome and today is a pastor and a successful inspirational speaker to many, including business executives and NFL players.

Putting these contrasting situations into perspective provides insight for living. Both Arenado and Archer are great achievers.  Both have had to work hard to get where they are in life.  Both have influence and impact other lives. Each followed a different path in life to get there.  The shining example for me here is that we should be grateful for what we have.  That we should make the best of each day and moment.  And that when we feel we are being mistreated; we should always remember that we are not likely the worst of the worst.  Neither the best moments or our worst moments define us.  And the loudest message coming from this story is to believe that you too have a special purpose, and continuously move toward fulfilling that purpose.