“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126:3

Major League Baseball knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey had the best year of his career last season. He made his first All-Star Game appearance, had career-bests in victories (20), ERA (2.73) and strikeouts (230), and he won the National League Cy Young award—the highest achievement for a pitcher. And all of that came after releasing his autobiography, Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball.

In his book, he talked about going through abuse as a child and other difficult things, yet, he was able to understand his worth through a relationship with Christ.

Because of that, his accomplishments were handled with a healthy perspective and he is able to embody Psalm 126:3 (“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”) and see the positives despite the negatives.

Dickey said in an interview with Sports Spectrum: “If God calls me away from baseball tomorrow, I would gladly walk away knowing that He has given me an incredible story to tell and an incredible journey where He has taught me so many different things.”

What has God taught you? Are you dwelling on the bad things that have happened to you and allowing your joy to be stolen, or are you focusing on the “great things” that God has done for you over the years and receiving the joy He has waiting for you?

By Brett Honeycutt, Sports Spectrum

Brett Honeycutt is the managing editor at Sports Spectrum magazine. This devotional is taken from our most recent Training Table, a compilation of sports-related devotionals included in each print magazine. Log in here to access our most recent Training Table.