"every man at his best"
Psalm 39:5
Something good happened the other day, to someone bad.
I'm kidding; he's not really bad.
The "he" is Tim Lincecum, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. And he's only "bad" if you are, like me, a Dodgers fan.
The good thing that happened was that he threw a no-hitter. Pitched all nine innings without giving up a hit. He gave up a few walks, I guess, otherwise it would be a perfect game.
I rarely ~ or never ~ root for the Giants. But we were watching TV last night, and got word of the no-hitter in the 7th inning, so we tuned in for the rest of the game. They don't happen a lot, so it's exciting to see.
And the funny thing is, you start to root for the pitcher, no matter where your allegiance might lie normally. Several years ago I attended a Dodger game where the Dodgers were no-hit, and by the 9th inning, I found myself rooting for the opposing pitcher.
But here's the other thing that's cool about a no-hitter: it almost always includes a few amazing defensive plays. There's just something about seeing how well their pitcher is doing, that makes a team all give it their best. It's probably partially about not wanting to be the one that messes up the streak, but I think it's also because watching someone excel makes us want to excel, too. Especially when it's someone we're working with.
I like this from two aspects: the challenge of being my best in order to bring out the best in others; and noticing and appreciating the excellence in those around me, and letting it inspire me.
~ "let it be for the edification of the church
that you seek to excel" ~
1 Corinthians 14:12
~
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