Baseball Hall-of-Fame catcher Gary Carter was a follower of Jesus.
During his 19-year career, he drew strength and endurance from his faith in God
to compete day after day. In an article that appeared in the Wall
Street Journal shortly after Carter died of brain cancer at age 57,
writer Andrew Klavan told how Carter had influenced his life.
In the late 1980s, Klavan had sunk to a low point in his life. His mind
dwelt on suicide. Then he heard Carter interviewed after a game. His team, the
New York Mets, had won, and the aging catcher had helped by running hard at a
critical point in the game. Carter was asked how he could do that with his
aching knees. Klavan heard him say something like this: “Sometimes you just
have to play in pain.” That simple statement helped draw Klavan out of his
depression. “I can do that!” he declared. Encouraged, he found hope—and later
became a believer in Christ.
The comforting truth behind Carter’s statement comes from Lamentations.
We may face sorrow, pain, and hardship, but we don’t have to sink into
self-pity. The same God who allows our suffering also showers us with His
compassion (Lam. 3:32). With God’s love lifting us up, we can—if we have
to—“play” in pain.
God will either spare you from suffering or give you the grace to bear it. (RBC)
