25 Oct Dreams Created and Crushed in 5.2 Seconds

It will go down as one of the great moments in MLB playoff history. Game 4 of the 2026 National League Division Series. The San Diego Padres were on the brink of elimination at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. Bottom of the 8^th, the Padres trailed the Brewers 3-1. Manny Machado steps to the plate with one man on. The pitch, the swing, the crack of the bat. Machado stops to admire his work, blows a bubble gum bubble. A sea of hands awaits the heirloom-to-be in the outfield bleachers. Oh, the dreams that were created with the crack of that bat.

All those hands in the stands, dreaming of what they will do with the ball they are going to catch. Machado, dreaming that his two-run homer will be the beginning of a rally that will lead to a Padres victory. All those dreams were created and crushed in 5.2 seconds. That’s how long it took for the ball to travel from Machado’s bat to the glove of Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell.

With a stab of his glove into that sea of hands, Mitchell stole all those dreams. And tens of thousands more dreams throughout Petco Field, and millions watching and listening. All those dreams created and crushed in 5.2 seconds. That’s the danger of believing you know exactly how a situation is going to play out. As Christ-followers, we can easily fall into this trap. We are warned against assuming our lives will go exactly as we plan in the Book of James:

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:13-17 (NIV)

Wow, all such “boasting” is evil? What does James mean by that?

This verse supports that James has in mind a particular attitude behind the words of verses 13 and 14. In that context—bragging about one’s plans devoid of God’s influence—such a statement reveals arrogance and self-reliance…The good news for those of us who are in Christ is that God is for us. In love, He directs the course of our lives. Every good that has ever come our way is from Him (James 1:17), and He has promised to provide all we need now and great abundance with Him for eternity. To declare our independence in the face of that is more than just foolish, James now writes. It is evil and arrogant boasting. (bibleref.com)

Tired of seeing dreams crushed, whether it’s in 5.2 seconds, minutes, or years? The answer is holding onto your plans loosely and trusting God to direct the course of our lives. After all, He knew Mitchell was going to make that catch before the beginning of time as we know it!

Pastor Jerry Bader