There's something I really like about baseball. In fact, I wish life were more like a baseball game. Baseball has specific rules that must be followed to ensure fun, safety and fairness. When you're at bat, the goal is to hit the ball. You don't wanna just hit it though, you wanna knock it outta the park so you can ensure a home-run. Everyone wants to get the game winning home-run. With that being said, games would be pretty boring if the same batter swung until he hit a home-run, so there is this thing called the three strikes rule. Basically, you get 3 mess ups and then you're out - done - no more turns. The game is much more complex but for the sake of what I'm trying to say, this explanation will suffice. If this is all you know about baseball - get the "At Bat" App on your iPhone, Go Padres! Sometimes I wish everything in life came with the three strikes rule: people and tragedies, more specifically.
If people participated in the three strikes rule, they would just walk around with tallies on their forehead for the world to see. Part of me thinks it would force people to behave in ways that are appropriate because everyone could see how many strikes they had. Wouldn't it be nice to know if someone had cheated before? Wouldn't it be nice to know if someone has ever intentionally used words to hurt another? Wouldn't it be nice to know if someone was lying? I've had my share of "friends" that weren't actually very friend-like and I've had my share of boyfriends that gave a whole new meaning to the word "jerk". I've been burned so many times over the years by people I thought deserved second or third or fourth chances at friendships and relationships. I finally understand that you can't force people to like you and you can't just wait around like a bump on a log to be noticed and adored. Sometimes I think that people need to be out - done - with no more chances.
I wish tragedies happened in three strikes too. My mom's cancer is insanely painful for my family and I wish I could trade places with her every day. I want Michael to grow up with a mom and I don't want to know what it'll be like without mine. But if this was my family's third strike...I'd be able to sleep a little easier tonight. If this was our third strike, my family wouldn't have to experience any more heartache or loss after this cancer. Having your heart broken once is tough, twice is unfair and three times is hopelessly cruel. I don't think anyone deserves to have their heart broken ever, but definitely no more than three times. On a lighter note, I've recently become addicted to this game on my phone - Jelly Splash. It looks easy and fun...until you die and have to wait 30 minutes for a new life. You'd be surprised how long 30 minutes actually is...it feels like forever. The game is so dumb. It's not worth waiting 30 minutes. Every time I die I threaten to delete the app. However, I always find myself desperately waiting for the game to reload and vowing that this time will be different.
What do batters think when they take to the field? I don't actually know, but they're probably thinking that this time will be different too. This time they have the opportunity to knock the ball outta the park. They have many more chances and three strikes to get the job done. Even if they struck out in the first five innings, there's a possibility they'll hit it in the sixth. I don't think this is an uncommon frame of mind. I often think "he didn't mean to say that" or "maybe he's changed" or "maybe she can't convey her feelings with the best words". I give people extra chances because I keep thinking they'll change their mind or improve on their perspective. I keep thinking that everyone deserves another chance at redemption. And until now, I haven't been entirely sure as to why?
God gives us multiple chances and opportunities...knowing and understanding that we're going to fail and disappoint him. I disappoint God all the time. I deliberately avoid talking and listening to Him frankly because I'm pissed my life is turning out this way. What if God had given us a three strikes rule...pretty sure I wouldn't have made it past the age of 4 if after three mess ups I was out - done - with no more chances. Disappointment happens every single day. Most of my disappointments come from risks - trusting someone with a secret, sharing feelings that should have been shared weeks ago and spending time with people you think are important. The risk is that sometimes you shouldn't share secrets or trust the people you want to...but I find that with risking disappointment there's the potential to find excellence and happiness. If we didn't give multiple chances there would never be any home runs. If we don't know a person's past we can't write-them-off unnecessarily or know if they'll be any different. If we don't share our feelings we miss out on a friendship or relationship that could last a lifetime.
So how do you know when enough is enough? How do you know when someone doesn't deserve another chance? This is when life isn't actually like a baseball game. You can't honestly give people three strikes and say "peace out" when they mess up three times. I mean you could, but you'd live a lonely life. I don't have the answer, but God does. In Matthew 18: 21-22 we learn how many chances we are to give others; "Then Peter came up and said to him, 'Lord how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven'". That's a lot of times we're allowed to mess up and be forgiven by God. If we were created in God's image...that means that we should allow people seventy times seven chances to mess up too. Basically, it means we should give people an endless amount of new opportunities and rid the world of grudges and hatred. As hard as it is to move on and forgive, we've been designed to do so and give that person or group of people another chance. I maintain that the three strikes rule would bring more accountability to our lives, but I understand that we're so much more than our mistakes. The next time you're at a crossroads and you're not sure whether to delete a Facebook friend or apologize? I encourage you to follow God's strike rule and give endless amounts of forgiveness and love.
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