Views from the Upper Deck

My family and I sat through a one hour rain delay at a St. Louis Cardinal’s game on Memorial Day. The game started out with the temperature about 85, sunny skies and a light breeze. That’s about a perfect day for baseball. We’d brought along ponchos and jackets just in case, with the forecast showing a 60 percent chance of rain or thunderstorms. But when we arrived at the stadium it looked so nice out that we left them in the car.

About the second inning I noticed the sky to the west growing increasingly dark. The wind began blowing more briskly and the temperature began to drop. The reason I was able to keep such a keen eye out on the weather is that we were sitting in the Outfield Terrace Reserved seats – the upper deck. Not only were we in the upper deck, we were in the top row of the upper deck. Section 434, Row 11. The nose-bleed seats. And you may not believe this, but my son Tyler actually did get a nosebleed from being so far up in the atmosphere.

In the third inning the flags in the stadium started waving wildly, the sky kept getting darker, streaks of lightning flashed in the sky and peals of thunder rumbled overhead. Napkins and hot dog wrappers began swirling throughout the stands and on the field. Somewhere around 4:00 or so they turned on the stadium lights, and you pretty well knew what was coming.

Just before the fourth inning was to start, the grounds crew rolled out the massive tarp and covered the infield, and it wasn’t long before the rain came pouring down all around. All those poor people in the front row were forced to try to find some shelter.

Turns out ours were the best seats in the house. We had lathered up with sunscreen prior to the game, but didn’t need it because we were sitting under the pavilion in the shade as the umpires said, “Play ball!” (At least I assume he did, but we couldn’t hear from that distance.) Then when the skies opened up we smiled as we stayed dry in our Bob Uecker’s. Not only that, but we also had a nice view of the Mississippi River, the Arch and the freight trains screeching on the tracks behind us, which helped keep our youngest a little more occupied during the long game.

So what if Albert Pujols looked like a miniature action figure on the field below? Who cares if you can’t judge a long fly ball from the upper deck? We were dry and shaded, and enjoyed the day together.

I wasn’t real sure I wanted to go in the first place. This is a very busy week, and there are plenty of other things I need to get done. I love baseball, but knew the day would be costly (even in the cheap seats), and so I waited until the last minute to order tickets. If I would have waited until June 1 to buy tickets for the game on May 31, I would have been too late. But in the end I’m glad we went.

Similarly, many people hesitate to make the commitment to come to Jesus for salvation. They’re not real sure they want to abandon their other plans for Him. They know something of the cost involved, and they’re not quite willing to pay the price. Maybe they’re not sure heaven’s worth it. So they wait and wait and keep waiting.

Unfortunately, there will be a day when it will be too late. No one knows when he will draw his last breath on earth. No one knows when Christ Himself will return as the Scripture declares. Friend, let me plead with you to stop waiting around. Stop putting off till tomorrow what you know you need to do today. You may not have tomorrow. But you have right now, and there’s no better time to turn away from sin and trust in Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord than this very moment.

I promise you this: You will be glad you did. And you’ll wish you had done it sooner. I’ve never known a single soul who’s laid aside his own plans for life and been willing to pay the price to follow after Christ, who has ever been disappointed. You’ll have no regrets, only a supernatural peace and unbending hope and unspeakable joy that comes in the assurance of your reserved seat in the glories of heaven.

Eternity is a long time. With heaven or hell hanging in the balance, you can’t afford to wait until the last minute. Choose to believe in and follow Jesus today and for ever. And whether you’re sitting in heaven’s Diamond Box or in the top row of the upper deck, you’ll have the best seats in the house.