An amazing athlete

Josh Hamilton - from his Wikipedia article

There are many talented athletes in the world and there are many athletes who are also role models. But what do you call an athlete who has made big mistakes but has turned their life around? You don't want to call them a role model because you'd hate to see a young person make the same mistakes they made. But you have to admire them for making the change that was needed. So, I'd like to mention Josh Hamilton.

He is a baseball player for the Texas Rangers. He won the American League's Most Valuable Player award last year. He was injured earlier this year but is making a big comeback during the mid-season now. But that is not the big change I am talking about.

Mr. Hamilton was a promising young ball player when he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays (then called the Devil Rays) but got messed up with alcohol and drugs and almost lost his chance at playing in the big leagues. He hit bottom but turned it all around with the help of his faith in Jesus and the help of people around him. I had not noticed him before but last year, he was featured during a series in our church about the I Am Second movement. Their website says, "I am Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others." Part of that is a series of short videos featuring people from all backgrounds explaining their faith in God and how they've come to realize that they need to be in second place - behind God.

Go to the list of films here. Some of the people are famous and many are not. But they all have one thing in common.They are second. You can find Josh Hamilton's profile here. To watch the video featuring him, look for the button labeled "Watch the Film". I hope you will find it inspiring, too.