Article November 29, 2004 Issue

The message is YES!

By Jeffrey Hildner and Marilyn Jones

FENWAY PARK: HOME OF THE BOSTON RED SOX, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL'S 2004 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS—and now a symbol of the improbable becoming reality. After 86 years of disappointment and heartbreak, the Sox finally won it all. They reeled off eight straight stunning victories, the first four against their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees. An object lesson for everyday life? Yes. The Sox's victory struck a universal chord, igniting shock waves beyond Boston and baseball. Because this team said No to despair and Yes to winning. And their history-making come-back can inspire hope in the heart of anyone who faces adversity. The spiritual lesson: Everyone can rebound from frustration and failure. Everyone can soar to the mountaintop of spiritual inspiration and find the courage and confidence to persevere against formidable odds. Everyone can skyrocket to victory. And it starts by saying Yes! to the promise of good that comes to each of us from God.

September 11, 2004. The third anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States. That day the two of us struck up a conversation about how to live with courage, hope, and confidence in this new world. For surely, the post-9/11 world is a new world—and it calls on deep spiritual resources to live without fear.

Here's a Bible passage that caught our attention big time: "God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us" (II Cor. 1:21, The Message, Eugene Peterson). Wow. A Yes in the Bible? A capital Yes, no less? That spoke to us. Because like a lot of people, we know what it feels like to say Yes to life. What it feels like to affirm life's goodness. What it feels like to bring cheerfulness and enthusiasms to others. It's natural. It's healthy. And here's the Bible telling us why—that it's God who is putting all these good qualities in us. Like the sun puts its light—warmth, vitality, and power—in every single ray.

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