By Justin Pratt, Clear Springs Baptist Church Senior Pastor
This week marks 49 years since one of baseball’s most unforgettable nights. On October 18, 1977, the New York Yankees faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series. New York’s larger-than-life star at the plate was Reggie Jackson. Jackson was already a star, but what happened that night would turn him into a legend. Jackson stepped to the plate three times. Three times he swung at the first pitch he saw, and three times the baseball disappeared over the outfield wall. Three pitches. Three swings. Three home runs unheard of in Major League Baseball. The Yankees won the game 8–4 and captured the World Series. From that night forward, Reggie Jackson would forever be remembered by one of the most recognizable nicknames in sports: “Mr. October.”
Jackson was known for his confidence, colorful quotes, and ability to perform on baseball’s biggest stage. He once said, “Home run hitters strike out a lot.” That statement holds a lesson all by itself. Nobody accomplishes anything significant in life without some failures along the way. Among the many statements attributed to “Mr. October” is one that sounds almost like a prayer: “Please God, let me hit one. I’ll tell everybody you did it.” Whether spoken under the pressure of a particular at-bat or simply as Jackson’s colorful way of describing a hitter’s hopes, something in those words is worth considering: “I’ll tell everybody You did it.” What if that became the testimony of our lives?
Maybe that ought to be the prayer of every one of us. “God, if You let me accomplish something with my life, I’ll tell everybody You did it.” If the business succeeds, tell everybody God did it. If the promotion comes, tell everybody God did it. If your children grow up and do well, tell everybody God did it. If your marriage survives seasons you once wondered if you could endure, tell everybody God did it. If you’re blessed with influence, opportunity, resources, health, talent or achievement, enjoy the blessing; but never forget the Source.
We live in a culture that constantly encourages us to build our own brand, promote our own accomplishments and make certain everybody knows what we have done. Scripture teaches us something very different. Psalm 115:1 says, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.” There is nothing wrong with working hard; we should. There is nothing wrong with succeeding; we will. There is nothing wrong with hitting the proverbial home run, but the Christian should always remember who gave us the strength to swing the bat. That was God, our Creator. Behind every accomplishment in our lives is a thousand blessings we could never have manufactured for ourselves. That doesn’t diminish hard work; it puts hard work in perspective.
Reggie Jackson walked away from that October night with three home runs, a World Series championship, and a nickname that has survived nearly half a century. Most of us will never stand beneath the lights of Yankee Stadium. Our victories may never make a newspaper headline or appear in a record book. But whatever God allows us to accomplish, perhaps we should make Him the same promise: “Lord, if You let me hit one, I’ll tell everybody You did it.” And when the home run finally comes, don’t forget the promise. Tell everybody God did it.
This article is lovingly dedicated to my friend Dale Cameron, whom I have the joy of pastoring and who just may be the biggest Yankees fan I know.
