If God Seems Distant, Think of Nick Swisher

So if it seems that God is distant, remember Nick Swisher--and remember that God loves us more than we'll ever understand.

SPRING LAKES, MI (Catholic Online) - I received Michael Lewis' book Moneyball as a Christmas gift. I've found this volume fascinating not only for its tremendous insights into baseball strategy, but for the many spiritual parallels I've discovered. Lewis tells the story of Billy Beane, the brilliant general manager of the Oakland A's. Beane built a winning franchise primarily by drafting players who, according to "conventional wisdom," seemed to lack the necessary tools to play Major League Baseball. His general strategy and its spiritual lessons will be the subject of my next post--but this one revolves around his calculated pursuit of Nick Swisher.

When the current Yankee outfielder was playing college ball at Ohio State, Beane had heard about him and very much wanted to watch him play in person. But Beane's scouting staff convinced him that Oakland's best shot at landing Swisher was to have Beane stay away from him.

By this time Billy Beane had established himself as one of the premier evaluators of baseball talent. If word got out that he was interested in Nick Swisher, the other clubs ahead of the A's in the draft would be gunning to get him first. So in order to protect Swisher from his competitors and get him into his own fold, Beane had to keep his distance and appear not to be interested--even though he desperately wanted Swisher in an Oakland uniform. The strategy paid off, and Beane drafted Swisher with the 16th pick in the first round.

This episode can serve as a reminder in times when it may seem God is distant or no longer involved in our lives. God is always intensely interested in us and longing to have us in his fold--he is madly in love with us. Everything happens for a reason, and when there are times when God may appear distant there is a reason for that as well--just as Billy Beane had a reason for keeping his distance from his coveted draft pick.

Anyone feeling such distance is in good company. Mother Teresa told her spiritual director that for decades she felt a distance from God--a dryness in her spiritual life. St. John of the Cross wrote that it is often in those times that God is doing his greatest work in us, even though we don't sense it.

Perhaps one reason for God's seeming distance is to increase our desire for him. Writing about Billy Beane's calculated distance from Nick Swisher, Michael Lewis uses almost cryptic Scriptural imagery. The Scriptures repeatedly speak of God as a bridegroom and his people as his bride. Lewis writes that Beane's strategy had some strange effects: "One of them [was] to lead Billy to speak of Swisher in the needy tone of a man who has been restrained for too long from seeing his beloved. Swisher is his picture bride."

So if it seems that God is distant, remember Nick Swisher--and remember that God loves us more than we'll ever understand, and everything--even spiritual dryness--has a purpose in his holy will.

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James Penrice is originally from Plymouth, Michigan, where he was raised Catholic with a particular devotion to the Detroit Tigers. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in education, he worked for a number of years in Catholic schools as both a teacher and principal. He is currently the Director of Faith Formation at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he lives with his wife and three children. He writes and speaks on various topics of the Catholic faith, in between coaching basketball and tee-ball. He has contributed to Our Sunday Visitor, Columbia, and Catholic Athletes for Christ.

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'Getting God in the Game' - subtitled 'Living Faith Through Sports' - is a well written 'sports blog' featuring Catholic Author, Athlete and teacher James Penrice.