On this day in 1989, as punishment for betting on baseball, Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose accepts a settlement that includes a lifetime ban from the game.
Now, to many of you, that doesn't mean a thing. But if you grew up in a household where your Daddy was a die-hard Cincinnati Reds fans, it was a sad, sad day. I remember the many hours of debate and discussion on TV, on the radio, in the newspapers: Did he or did he not do what they said? His fans loved him. They didn't all agree on his guilt or innocence, but they did all agree that he WAS the Reds. Pete Rose and the Reds went hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly, like a pencil and eraser. Baseball changed for them on that day. Many maintained he was innocent because he said he was. Many thought he got a bum rap. Many thought he was guilty. But no matter what they thought about what he did, he was Pete Rose and they still loved him.
Now you may wonder why I am posting this, considering I'm not much of a sports fan. But I believe there is a lesson to be learned. What Pete Rose did was not a good thing, yet he was still adored by his fans. He was still loved by thousands.
How many times in our lives do we do or say things we know God does not want us to do or ignore doing the things He asks of us, thinking we know best? Yet, how many times does God forgive us for our foolishness and stubbornness in trying to manage on our own? No matter what we do or don't do, He is still there for us. He stands beside us, He carries us, He shows His undying love and support in so many ways and we take it for granted. I don't understand why we as humans are so willing to forgive and forget when we love someone; yet, we find it hard to accept that God feels the same way about us. We need to quit being so hard on ourselves when we fail and just take it to God and leave it there.
