Borrowed Breath

So last night, the Phillies won when Ryan Howard hit a three run home run in the top of the 10th. This sounds good, and it certainly is good for Ryan’s stats of HR’s and RBI’s. However, where it is not so good is that Ryan Madson blew the save in the bottom of the 9th which forced the game to go into extra innings. And what makes it slightly (a lot) more frustrating for us fans is that Brad Lidge blew a save the night before, and the Phillies actually lost.

Since the nail-biting days of Mitch Williams, saving a victory has never been so tense.

But all this got me thinking about perspective, and how subjective we are as human beings. We would like to think sometimes that we are objectively viewing a situation. But we’re not.

In the game that Brad Lidge lost two nights ago, what is interesting is that the Pirates went into the top of the 9th inning with the lead, but the Phillies rallied to take the lead.

Did you notice how I worded that? The Pirates pitcher didn’t blow the save. The Phillies rallied. If you were to ask a Pirates fan what happened in the top of the 9th, they would say that Matt Capps blew the save and that McCutchen’s error allowed the Phillies to take the lead. But if you ask a Phillies fan what happened, they would say that the Phillies rallied in the top of the 9th to take the lead.

Now, if you’re not a baseball fan, all of the above probably made little or no sense.
But the point I’m making is that my affinity to a sports franchise affects how I interpret the game as it transpires.

And if it is true in sports, then it is also true in other areas.
My upbringing, my social standing, my surroundings, my church, my family and friends, all of these factors (and more) will affect how I view and understand the things that happen around me and around the world.

So I think I can safely conclude that this affects theology. My interpretation of the scriptures is not as objective as I would like to think it is. Now it is true that the Holy Spirit guides and instructs. And it is also true that our God demolishes strongholds in our minds to help us better understand the scriptures. I am not negating these truths. But unless I open myself up to Him and acknowledge that my interpretation may in fact be skewed by my preconceived conclusions, I may just continue on in my “correct” construal, all the while being convinced that everyone who does not agree with me is wrong.

Lord help!