Albert Pujols. Seems a bit silly but he has seriously been on my mind a lot lately. I won’t claim to be the biggest baseball buff out there, but I’ve grown up with the Cards and have had some great memories with them. Sunday night I even had a dream about Pujols not renewing a contract and I was so mad. Though I’m scared he might go somewhere where he will get what he’s asking, and what some say he deserves, I’m going to enjoy this season. After all, Cardinals fans are the most faithful ones out there. And I did make it through 2003 and losing my favorite player, JD Drew. (No he wasn’t the best player in baseball, but I was in sixth grade and loved yelling “DREEEEEEEWWWWW” when he came up to bat.)
As I think about Pujols and the position he has been put in I immediately think of his Christian faith and try to see how hard this must be for him. Initially I was upset and thought that he was being ridiculous, but I’m starting to see his dilemma. It’s just the amount of money that’s being talked about is outrageous to even consider. It’s hard to imagine what the difference would be between $100 million and $300 million since I don’t even have any clue what having $1 million would be like. I won't even mention the unequal distribution of weatlth in this world, because that's a whole other issue.
This situation leads me to wonder what the heck Pujols must be thinking right now. I have always seen him as a humble, gracious, and faithful guy, so I assume he’s put a lot of thought into this. I know his agents and managers must have a lot to do with his negotiations, but I’m sure he has plenty of say. I have to question, as a follower of Jesus Christ, what’s the right thing to do?
I have often struggled with knowing where to draw the line on situations like this. Not necessarily with money, but with how you get treated by others. Being the strong willed person I am, I don’t personally want to be taken advantage of, but what would Jesus say? Would He care if people treated him like a doormat? I mean he did come to earth, have people hate him, and still die for those very people without sinning once. Sometimes I’m just not sure how to translate that into being my own person, standing up for myself but being Christ-like at the same time.
So, Albert Pujols is currently the greatest baseball player alive. He is also a professing Christian. So as the best baseball player he is worth $300 million, but as a Christian should he ask for it? Since Jesus didn’t play pro ball, it’s easy to see the quandary in making this decision.
As Christians, should we ask for what we deserve and risk looking selfish to some, or should we humble ourselves to the point of becoming a doormat? I suppose it’s hard to find the happy medium, and I am pretty sure Pujols is looking for it. But should we be looking for a medium? Jesus wasn't really a moderate kind of person. He was pretty radical.
The one story I am reminded of when I hear this, is the Parable of the rich fool in Luke 12, when Jesus said ‘“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Shortly after Jesus adds, ‘“33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”’
I wish Pujols good luck, and I hope we keep him, but even more I hope that no matter what team he plays for, God can continue to be glorified through his amazing talent, witness and how he spends the money from the new contract he receives.
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