Patience Is A Virtue—

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE— in life and in the batter’s box. In 1978 as Pete Rose pursued Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, a little impatience might have cost Rose an amazing opportunity.

After the Cincinnati Reds first baseman extended his string to 44 games, he admitted to reporters that threats of thundershowers increased his desire to collect an early hit. Although fair skies prevailed the following evening, frustration clouded Rose’s efforts.

Rookie left-hander Stan Williams of the Atlanta Braves walked the 37-year-old player in the first inning and speared a vicious line drive near his shoe top in the third, robbing Rose of a sure hit. Facing baseball’s all-time hit leader once more in the fifth, Williams made the first baseman ground out.

Gene Garber took the mound for Atlanta in the seventh. Rose crushed an early offering, but the ball headed straight for third baseman Bob Horner’s glove. He snared it without moving.

Trailing 16–4, the Reds’ captain batted with two outs in the ninth. After bunting the first pitch foul, Rose took two balls and then foul-tipped a changeup. For the 2-2 pitch, Garber threw another changeup. The first baseman’s swing barely nicked the ball as it settled into catcher Joe Nolan’s glove for strike three, ending Rose’s quest for baseball’s longest hitting streak.

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POINT Although Pete Rose didn’t break DiMaggio’s record, Rose’s 44-game hitting streak tied with Willie Keeler for the longest in the National League and second longest all-time. (Keeler earned his record in 1897 with the Baltimore Orioles.)

But Pete Rose badly wanted to hit safely in game 45 to keep the streak alive. After great defensive plays twice robbed him of hits, the star put all his hopes on one last try. He appeared anxious, replacing his normal relaxed style with a tension everyone in the stadium felt. Rose tried too hard.

That’s an easy trap for us in life, too. We want something so much that tension takes its toll. We commit an error on a routine catch. We forget our lines. We press too hard and hit a bad note. We freeze.

But God knows our thoughts and our anxieties. He whispers to our heart that we can relax because he loves us no matter what.

GOAL! Put yourself in Pete Rose’s place. Would you have felt anxious? How does your body react to tension? You can relax knowing that God loves you no matter what.