Tuesday, November 13, 2001
Tuesday, November 13, 2001
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith
has made
you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
Saying thanks is an expression of character. Jesus praised those who came back to
say thanks.
Jesus appreciated character wherever he saw it. He knew that this was a quality
individual and he
acknowledged that quality. Saying thank you is a sign of character.
(Matthew 9:22
NRSV)
Many of you are familiar with baseball star, Steve Carlton. Carlton is a four-time Cy
Young
Award winner. At one time he was considered by the experts to be baseball's most
effective
pitcher. He was also its highest paid pitcher at over one million dollars per year. What
is not
widely known is that in 1973 after a season in which he went 13 and 20, Steve Carlton
asked the
Philadelphia Phillies to renegotiate his contract which was a binding long-term contract
that could
only be broken by mutual consent. That's not unusual. Athletes ask to renegotiate
contracts
already signed all the time. The difference is that Steve asked the Phillies to REDUCE
his salary.
How's that for character? Steve was grateful for the opportunity to play baseball and he
expressed
his gratitude in a concrete way. He did not want to take advantage of the team that
employed him.
God of all, thank you for never giving up on me. Amen.
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