Mark Prior

I read a good article today about Mark Prior, by Steve Henson of Yahoo.com.  Remember Mark Prior Pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, was supposed to be the next great thing.  He was actually really good for a few years.  He then proceeded to get hurt, and then get hurt again and again.  finally with too many surgeries, he was out of baseball.  He tried out for a few teams, but didn't make it.  He is 30 years old now, still fairly young and is pitching for a minor league team out of their bullpen.  A long way from a starting pitcher for the Cubs.  He's doing fairly well, but really he wants to pitch again in the Majors.  I can't say I blame him.  He wants to do what he loves doing. 

So there he is, started his career off with hype and ballyhoo, even did really well for awhile. Experienced injury, and the downside of the business of baseball.  Now has a changed attitude of desire just to make it back to the majors, with no expectations or presumptions, just desire.  It makes me think of marriage.  I love my wife so much, and when we got married, we thought "This will be great, we are already best friends, we can work through anything."  We experienced pain, and hurt from each other and other influences, we are figuring out that life together isn't always going to be easy or great.  and not that we have lowered our expectations of marriage, but I think, we are learning to not have expectations that since we are best friends that everything will be perfect.  What I do know is that I have that same desire that I had 14 years ago (and earlier while we were dating) to live with and share my life with her, even when it is difficult and doesn't make sense.  Even if I experience pain and hurt, because when I am with Liesl, and we experience life together, it's a little taste of perfect love and redemption - what God wants us to know about Him