21 Sep, 2011
For the least of these
Marlins pitcher receives surprising package from Kuwait
When it comes to the plastic tubs that hold mail in the clubhouse, major league ballplayers usually know what to expect: Autograph requests for cards and pictures, pieces of fan-made art varying in quality and the occasional talisman meant to end a slump or heal an injury.
But what Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Hatcher opened before a recent game caught him off guard. Inside a package that arrived from Camp Buehring in Kuwait was an American flag and a picture of a smiling boy holding a baseball. A letter from Sgt. Joseph Hjelmstad of Minnesota accompanied both items, explaining that the package was a thank-you gift for Hatcher's actions back in July.
That was when Hjelmstad took his son Joey to a Marlins-Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Hatcher and Hjelmstad struck up a conversation about Hjelmstad's continuing military duty and ended it by tossing Joey a baseball — the same one that was in the picture Hatcher received. Two months later and back on patrol in the Middle East, Hjelmstad wanted to make sure that Hatcher's actions did not go unappreciated.
From the Miami Herald:
The flag came with a certificate of authenticity that said it had been taken on patrol covering 780 miles in Iraq from Aug. 27-30 with stopovers at three different U.S. military bases.
"I remember him giving me the rundown [at the game]," Hatcher said. "He told me he was about to get sent back over. I said 'Are you serious? I've heard that before.' He said, 'When you asked it showed you actually cared about the troops.' So, I flipped his son a ball. Then this (package) showed up today.
"Pretty nice gesture on his part."
(Story & Picture courtesy of yahoo news)
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40
What does today's God's Story Scripture say about the least of these?
The "least of these" is a phrase much like "your Neighbor"(matthew 22:39), I know I hear the sunday school kid in you saying yes I have heard this before yet the reality is have you. Have you taken it to the next level. This was a discussion that we must not take lightly, it is something that God calls us to daily. They didn't see the Lord when they served, feed, clothed, and met the needs of people around them, only because of the compassion and faith in their hearts was pure.
God does not call you to help people because He is watching you, He calls to love because of your love for Him.
How can I connect today's Story & God's Story Scripture to my life?
Its so easy to be caught up in ourselves, and our hurried busy life, to take the time to stop and lend a hand to those around you. God calls us to be attentive to this world, to be in it, and not of it.
Who have you had a chance to show love to? Ask God to give you a heart of compassion. Ask God to give you a heart to see Him in people that you meet. As you see God in others and draw from His compassion, serving others will come more naturally.
How can I connect Today's Story, God's Story Scripture, and my Story to others?
Sometimes its just in the simple conversations we have with people that causes us to be a part of the "least of these". It was the simple conversation and gesture of the Marlins pitcher that meant so much to a soilder. What will you do for someone, simply because you understand what it means to be loved. Keep your eyes open for the people in your life that God can use you to show extra compassion and love to.
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