The Volume of Silence
Anyone who knows anything about baseball knows that Hank Aaron hit more home runs than anyone else—755. Sports fans also know that at the moment, Barry Bonds is chasing that record. At this writing, he has hit 754 home runs in his career, one shy of the all-time record. It is only a matter of time before Bonds slams more balls over the fence and smashes the record.
Barry Bonds may be about to break one of the most sacred records in all of sports, but Bonds has a problem. He is accused of having taken performance-enhancing steroids. In fact, he is currently under investigation for that accusation.
The plot thickens. It is possible Bonds, who plays for the Giants, will break the home run record when he plays the Dodgers next week! The San Francisco Giants are the arch-rivals of the Los Angeles Dodgers and have been ever since they were the New York Giants playing the Brooklyn Dodgers. Bill Plaschke, a sports writer for the Los Angeles Times, expresses the feelings of many Dodger fans, “The player you despise most, playing for the team you hate most probably will have the chance to break baseball’s greatest record in your backyard.” He adds, “If you are there, what will you do?”
If Barry Bonds hits a home run in Dodger Stadium next week that breaks the all-time home-run record, what should Dodger fans do? Should they cheer or should they boo believing he cheated by using steroids? When Bonds hit home run number 754, one shy of the all-time record, it was shown on the screen at Angel Stadium. Bonds was booed.
Plaschke says if it happens in Dodger Stadium, booing might seem perfect at the time, but twenty years from now, it will seem petty. He suggests silence. He concludes, “Greet the loudest hit in baseball history with a silence that will fill Dodger Stadium with dignified dissent, a silence that might fill someone’s ear hole with a tad of remorse. A silence that will last a lifetime. Talk about a shot heard round the world.”
I am not sure what Dodger fans should do if they are faced with the record breaking home run in their own backyard, but I do know that silence is sometimes louder than a shout. Every husband knows that when his wife says nothing, she is shouting. If he is smart, he hears volumes. The less she says, the more he should hear.
The Scripture recognizes the volume of silence. To wives living with an unbelieving husband, Peter recommends living a godly life and having “a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4). He says such is “very precious in the sight of God.” Paul urges believers to “aspire to lead a quiet life” and mind their own business (1 Thess. 4:11). He also says they should “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:2).
It is appropriate sometimes to be slow to speak (Jas. 1:19) and sometimes to be silent. Silence can speak volumes.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 7/28/2007
Barry Bonds may be about to break one of the most sacred records in all of sports, but Bonds has a problem. He is accused of having taken performance-enhancing steroids. In fact, he is currently under investigation for that accusation.
The plot thickens. It is possible Bonds, who plays for the Giants, will break the home run record when he plays the Dodgers next week! The San Francisco Giants are the arch-rivals of the Los Angeles Dodgers and have been ever since they were the New York Giants playing the Brooklyn Dodgers. Bill Plaschke, a sports writer for the Los Angeles Times, expresses the feelings of many Dodger fans, “The player you despise most, playing for the team you hate most probably will have the chance to break baseball’s greatest record in your backyard.” He adds, “If you are there, what will you do?”
If Barry Bonds hits a home run in Dodger Stadium next week that breaks the all-time home-run record, what should Dodger fans do? Should they cheer or should they boo believing he cheated by using steroids? When Bonds hit home run number 754, one shy of the all-time record, it was shown on the screen at Angel Stadium. Bonds was booed.
Plaschke says if it happens in Dodger Stadium, booing might seem perfect at the time, but twenty years from now, it will seem petty. He suggests silence. He concludes, “Greet the loudest hit in baseball history with a silence that will fill Dodger Stadium with dignified dissent, a silence that might fill someone’s ear hole with a tad of remorse. A silence that will last a lifetime. Talk about a shot heard round the world.”
I am not sure what Dodger fans should do if they are faced with the record breaking home run in their own backyard, but I do know that silence is sometimes louder than a shout. Every husband knows that when his wife says nothing, she is shouting. If he is smart, he hears volumes. The less she says, the more he should hear.
The Scripture recognizes the volume of silence. To wives living with an unbelieving husband, Peter recommends living a godly life and having “a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4). He says such is “very precious in the sight of God.” Paul urges believers to “aspire to lead a quiet life” and mind their own business (1 Thess. 4:11). He also says they should “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:2).
It is appropriate sometimes to be slow to speak (Jas. 1:19) and sometimes to be silent. Silence can speak volumes.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 7/28/2007
