How Babe Ruth Helped Me Understand Jesus

A lot of people don't know this, but my grandfather gave me Babe Ruth's autograph when I was 11 years old. It was the single greatest gift I've ever been given - for obvious reasons and not-so-obvious reasons.

Yes, possessing one of the sport's world's most coveted authographs is amazing. There are times that I just stare at it in sheer disbelief. But there's more to it. When I got that autograph, I began a love affair with the New York Yankees and Babe Ruth - a love affair that continues to this day. I know, I know. You either love 'em or hate 'em. And I love 'em.

Because of that, I've read countless books and articles on both the Yankees and Babe Ruth. And in all the reading on Babe Ruth, one thing seemed to come up more than anything else. People, reporters, fans everywhere wanted to know his secret to hitting homeruns. They asked him about it all the time. This is one of his answers:

"I swing as hard as I can, and I try to swing right through the ball. The harder you grip the bat, the more you can swing it through the ball, and the farther the ball will go. I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can."

I've thought about that answer before. But I never really connected the dots with why that answer meant so much to me. But as I reflect on that statement now, it makes me think of another statement spoken many years ago. Only this statement is more than an answer to the secret of hitting homeruns. It's the secret to living "as big as I can."

Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly."

You want to live big? You want to hit homeruns every day? Then hold on with faith to Christ as hard as you can. And let him do the swinging for you.

And whether the Yankees or Rangers win, realize that life is about more than a baseball game.