“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust God with All Your Heart
MLB pitcher Blake Treinen, fresh off a 2020 World Series championship with the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently re-signed with the club to help defend the title in 2021. Yet, his entry into pro baseball wasn’t as smooth as last year’s championship.
After being drafted by the Marlins in the 2010 draft, a routine physical revealed shoulder inflammation in Treinen’s throwing arm, leading the Marlins to let him go. Devastated that his major-league dream was over before it even started, Treinen reached out to his summer baseball chaplain as he waited to board the plane to fly home to Kansas from Miami. The chaplain shared Proverbs 3:5-6 with Treinen.
Later that night as the dejected Treinen was picked up at the airport and driven home by his parents, a car passed the Treinens’ with a personalized license plate. Blake noticed it immediately. What did it say? “Prov356,” a reference to the same passage his chaplain had shared with him earlier in the day.
For Treinen, it was a moment of great encouragement as he realized God wasn’t done with his story. God had him on a path — one that 10 years later would lead to a World Series ring.
Not every path ends up with a trophy, but how can you trust God today with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding? What do you need to do today to submit to God and trust that He will make your paths straight?
— Matt Doan, Pastor at Calvary Church in Orange County, Calif.
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