Thoughts on recent Josh Hamilton news...

"I flew too high and like Icarus I collide With a world I try so hard to leave behind"
Jars of Clay - "Worlds Apart"

I'm not sure how many of you follow sports, the Rangers, etc...but it seems that most people know the story of Josh Hamilton. Literally a phenom coming into the 1999 major league baseball draft...taken first overall...gave way to injuries...slipped into drug addiction of the hardest sort...got clean...made it back to baseball in 2007...now an all-star with the Texas Rangers. A quick search on the web will take you to a number of stories about him, his talent, his struggles/recovery, and most importantly, his faith in Christ and how that has played a part in his life over the past few years. A great article from early in his comeback is here. (Try searching for Josh Hamilton and drugs, Josh Hamilton and faith, etc.)

Josh is open about his faith. He gives glory to God. He is a servant in the community, he is a witness to salvation, and he is sincere in his belief that God has given him a second chance to take his story across the nation and world. He has spoken openly about his daily struggle...that his addictive personality makes literally every day feel like a war is being waged against his sobriety and recovery. Well, one night this past January, Josh lost a battle...

A few links regarding this story (I am not posting links to the photos of him, you can find them if you want to):

Josh admits to being drunk (DMN)

Josh admits to being drunk (ESPN)

Thoughts from Josh's wife Katie (DMN)

Short version...Josh was is Arizona, got drunk, acted inappropriately with women who were not his wife, photos were taken. He proceeded to immediately let his wife, his sponsor, the Rangers, and the MLB offices know of his slip-up. He seems to have handled it in the best way he could...accept accountability (even in public when it came out), ask for forgiveness of those who matter in his life (of which the general population does not), and make peace with God, knowing that he is human and that He is mighty.

The question is...did he lose the war? Furthermore, did he lose all credibility as it relates to his faith? Is he a fraud? Did he embarrass Christianity?

First of all, as a Christian who believes in the saving grace of Jesus' blood...Josh did not lose the war. Yes, he took a step back...haven't you? Don't we all have our struggles, and don't we all falter at various times? Josh, in my best estimation, is fighting the good fight. He is out there with his story, he is letting people know about the power of faith in God, and he is a walking testimony to the power that the Lord has in our lives if we let him in. I do not think his story of faith is fake. Will some people now look at him with a questioning eye when he gives praise to God? Absolutely. Is it unfortunate that people will not focus on years of sobriety and progress, but instead hone in on a single incident.

Did he embarrass Christianity? I am sure this is a huge debate, and there is no direct answer. Did he act like a Christian that night? No. Does that make him less of a Christian than before? It absolutely does not. I have seen many things written the past few days about him not being a true Christian, and that he is fake, and that it was all an act, and even that he will likely slip-up even more now. The majority of these things have come from those who are not Christians themselves. However, some of that criticism is from people who profess the faith. And that is what irks me. Josh had a night of struggle, and he is a public figure whose story is well documented...and now Christianity has come under attack, from outside and from within. People are talking about how easy it is to ask for forgiveness and use Jesus as a shield from scrutiny. Others are talking about how hypocritical it is of him to be talking about his faith, promoting his book, etc, knowing about this. Others still are using this to talk about Christianity being a sham altogether.

What should we do as Christians? First…I think we should pray for Josh, and his continued recovery. I don’t know him…but I do know that he is a real dude, and that he is a professed brother in Christ, and that he need prayers. “I realized that, obviously, I'm not perfect, in this ongoing struggle, battle, that is very real. A lot of people don't understand how real it is." That is a direct quote from him regarding this whole thing.

Second…and this is what gets me pumped (you know, a little opportunity from God to spread the word)…we should all seize this opportunity to reinforce the idea that Christians are not perfect. We instead are sinners in every definition of the word. We are lustful, prideful, judgmental…recovering addicts, be it alcohol, drugs, gambling, whatever…we are a group that collectively comes from every walk of life…and that we are saved not by our own abilities to never screw up, but instead by the blood of Jesus. We should all remind ourselves and others that we are all in this together, and we should stick up for our brother and our faith. We should let it be known that we are incapable of perfection, and that it is not perfection that is demanded, but faith and a heart of love and forgiveness.

I am not embarrassed by him. If I ever feel that way, then I hope he, as a Christian, is likewise embarrassed by the way I sometimes act. And I don’t need to forgive him…he didn’t do anything to me…but there seem to be lots of people who think he owes them an apology, because he is a role model to youth, or because they own a #32 Rangers jersey. Sorry folks, but he owes God, his wife, and his support system an apology. Is he a role model? Yeah, I think he is. Not because he has a great swing, or a rocket of an arm, but because he is alive, and he is living his life with perseverance, and humility, and with (outside of that night) a true passion and thankfulness that he gets to wake up every day. Josh Hamilton, in my opinion, is a servant. So was his savior.