At this point in the season, I think it's safe to say most of us are feeling a little burnt-out and looking forward to the off-season. Not just burnt-out from the mundane routine of baseball; but truly feeling burnt-out and completely exhausted from overwork and sacrifices made. Sacrificing your success at work to take a few days off to visit. Sacrificing holidays with your family so you can be with your man instead. Sacrificing a comfy bed at home for a blow-up mattress. 

During our season in AA, I felt like I was making all the sacrifices in our marriage. We were newlyweds and I was fortunate to work out a deal with my job to be a part-time, remote employee for the season. I traveled to Binghamton, New York with my husband, where I was the only wife or girlfriend on the team living there for the entire season. One week, another girlfriend flew into town and we spent several hours together on the road following the team. At one point during our car ride, she said, "At this point in life, you're going to have to make all the sacrifices."

I was already feeling burnt-out and unappreciated, so the question I kept asking was, "How long is 'this point' in my life?" Does it last until he achieves his goal? Then the tables turn and he begins to make all the sacrifices? Or is it a set amount of time - five, ten, twenty years - then it's about me? "If I have it my way," I thought to myself, "I'll have children in the next 5 years (or so) and will be sacrificing it all for them for the rest of my life!"

When you get married, you're taught that life is not longer about "me," but about "us." I knew it, but hadn't grasped the concept completely. I still haven't. It's something I'm working through and will continue to work through for the rest of my life. We are selfish by nature and it's no surprise that at times I feel as though my 'sacrifices' need recognition. Then I just so happened to to read the verse that opened my eyes to why I'm able to make these 'sacrifices' in the first place. 

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. 

And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God."  -Ephesians 2:8

Christ made the ultimate sacrifice and has asked for nothing in return. His example on the cross allows us to forgive where we shouldn't, love those who are broken, sacrifice what we can't...

Amazingly, the game of baseball gives an incredible example of how sacrifice can work in our lives. A successful sacrifice hit does not count as an at bat, but does count as a plate appearance; this means (in case you're not a baseball WAG) it does not count against a player in determining on-base percentage. However, if the official scorer believes that the batter was attempting to bunt for a base hit, and not solely to advance the runners, the batter is not credited with a sacrifice bunt, and is charged an at bat. 

What a perfect example of the message I'm trying to write. When making a sacrifice and thinking nothing of yourself during it, those closest to you are able to make advancements in the right direction without any negative repercussions onto yourself. 

For, "Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:9-10

With a connection like that between the game and the Word of God, it's hard not to be romantic about baseball. 

So in an endeavor to act out the word of God rather than just read it, I pledged to no longer ask when life would be all about me again. No longer refer to these amazing opportunities Christ has given me as 'sacrifices.' No longer wait for the day that I don't have to adjust my life to meet the needs of others. I will let everything I say be good and helpful, so that my words may be an encouragement to those who hear them (Ephesians 4:29). This pledge has been made season after season, as I am human (sometimes a very tired, jet-lagged human) and need a refresher.

If you struggle with these same thoughts, join me in posting Ephesians 2:8-10 on your bathroom mirror, car dash, nightstand, fridge...as a reminder that life is not about your sacrifices, but about His. 

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. 

And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Ephesians 2:8-10