If you know me in the slightest, you know this: I live and breathe Atlanta Braves baseball. I’m not just a casual fan, I am passionate about this team, and I have been my entire life. Last night, my wildest dreams came true right in front of my eyes. I shed tears as I watched Dansby Swanson throw Freddie Freeman the last out of the year and win to bring the title of “World Series champions” back to Atlanta. I was speechless for minutes, until I finally caught my breath in time for the trophy to be lifted high.

You wouldn’t know this from watching the series against the Astros, but the Braves didn’t have the stereotypical “championship” year. They struggled. They struggled badly. In fact, as of July 13th, 2021, their chance of winning the World Series was 0.3%. Leading up to this historic win, Atlanta fell victim to many crippling injuries that ended the seasons of many stars, as well as other major obstacles. Both Ronald Acuña Jr. (my all time fav) and Mike Soroka suffered bad injuries, and Marcell Ozuna ended his season due to legal troubles. These three players are MASSIVE leaders on this team, and seeing them go was heartbreaking for all of Atlanta. This team also had to break the spell of losing to the Dodgers in the playoffs without these key players - a team who has eliminated them the past three years.

Perseverance is defined as “steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” Isaiah 61:3 states that Jesus will “bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” THIS IS HUGE!! God doesn’t want to see you struggle. He doesn’t want to watch you fail time and time again. He wants you to trust in Him and persevere through the trials and waiting in order to see Him raise you from  the ashes. Another little fact about the Braves, leading up to last night’s game, they had not won a World Series title since 1995. That is a 26 year drought, and every year since then they have been working towards earning the moment that they experienced last night. In those two and a half decades, they persevered and they worked - they never stopped. They finally reaped their harvest last night. That just goes to show one thing: there is no trial without purpose (read that twice).

In life, there will be struggles. You will endure storms that are too big for you to handle on your own. You will lose “key players” - maybe a friend, a relationship, or whatever that might be for you. You will feel like you have a very small chance of making it through the storm that surrounds you. No matter what you may be feeling, here’s the truth: God will bring beauty from ashes. Not only will He pull you out of that fire in His timing, but YOU WILL BE BETTER FROM IT!!! There is no season of hardship that goes without notice. God is here to tell you that there is beauty on the other side. God’s timing is better than my own, and I learn that more and more everyday.

Here’s to persevering despite the odds, and to the Atlanta Braves: 2021 World Series Champions.

“You give beauty for ashes, You turn shame into glory,

You’re the ONLY one who can.” -Elevation Worship, Graves Into Gardens