In May 2023, 2 wins away from going to the D2 College World Series, my son’s baseball playing plans took a dramatic turn. As the starting pitcher, he successfully rolled through the first inning, and with the second inning going equally well we were building in excitement at the possibility of only being one game away for the World Series! But in a moment, in one pitch, he felt severe pain in his elbow, and he was out of the game, and ultimately, not only was his college season over, but his summer season would not happen.
Some calls were made by a parent of another player, and he was able to get in quickly with one of the top doctors for what was assumed to be a UCL injury. Leading up to the appointment we were doing quite a bit of reading on UCL injuries and we began being hopeful that it wasn’t a complete tear and with surgery he would be back pitching in 5 months; not allowing ourselves to consider the possibility that a full-blown Tommy John Surgery would be needed, which would mean his entire 2024 season would also be done, along with other opportunities that were planned and hoped for.
At the appointment, after the X-Rays, we waited anxiously for the doctor’s diagnosis. He walked in, began to show the X-Rays, and explained what everything meant. Then the words came out, “His UCL is almost completely torn and if he wants to continue his pitching career he will need a complete reconstruction, he will need Tommy John Surgery.”
Our hearts sank as the reality of a 13–24-month recovery was setting in.
Many times, we must get bad news. But often, the bad news is what is needed to get to the good news.
What if that doctor knew he needed complete reconstruction but was swayed by what we wanted; after all, we wanted him to be able to pitch in 5 months. What if he said, “sure, let’s do repair surgery so he can get back on the mound in 5 months” knowing full well that the possibility of the elbow being strong enough to pitch would be zero.
The right thing for that doctor to do was to tell us the truth. As much as we didn’t want to hear it, we needed to hear the truth, we needed to hear the bad news.
As I was reading Ephesians last night, I was considering the reality that much of the Bible is what we could perceive as bad news; and it is bad news, but we need the Truth, we need the bad news. If we do not know the bad news, then the Good News doesn’t seem all that good.
For example, when this top surgeon said he could get Nathan in for surgery next week, when we had been previously told that he was booked out for 3 months, we were ecstatic. We were ecstatic because we were convinced, he needed the surgery, and we were convinced this doctor was the best in his field.
If we were NOT convinced of both things, then the fact that he squeezed Nathan into his schedule would not have been met with the thanksgiving and appreciation that it was.
The sole intention of this post is to convince the reader that there is a “complete tear.” No quick repair will help, complete reconstruction is required.
To illustrate this, I am going to re-write 4 verses in Ephesians 2 as if it were addressing a non-believer. Before I do this, allow me to give some context. All of Paul’s letters are written to the believing churches, therefore, in Ephesians 2 Paul is talking in past tense, because he is telling them what they once were, the condition and position they were once in; but for the non-believer this is their current condition.
You are dead in the trespasses and sins in which you walk, you are following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, of which, you are one. You follow the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and are by nature a child of Wrath, like the rest of mankind. To remain a child of Wrath is to have no hope, and to be without God now and into eternity, resulting in eternal suffering because of your transgressions of God’s Law.
WOW! That is bad news!!
The question becomes, are you convinced of it? If a man is not convinced, he has a “complete tear”, he won’t seek and appreciate the “surgeon”. Your relationship with God has been severed completely because of sin, and only the finished work of the Savior (Jesus) on the Cross will “reconstruct” this tear – only the Blood of Jesus can redeem a man. It is only by trusting in Him that a man can be forgiven, redeemed, regenerated, and given eternal life.
If you are convinced of the bad news, and see your need of the Savior, please read these ten verses rejoicing in what God has done, rejoicing in your NEW condition and position in Christ Jesus!!!
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—[6] and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
-Ephesians 2:1-10
