My Interview With Justin Masterson, Part IV |

« This Day In Red Sox History: February 19, 1951 | Home | Big Papi A Leader On And Off The Field »

My Interview With Justin Masterson, Part IV

By Administrator | February 19, 2009

Justin Masterson is the middle of three children born to a Christian evangelical pastor and his wife. He was born in Jamaica while his father, Mark, was serving as Dean of Students at Jamaica Theological Seminary.

Justin began his undergraduate work at Bethel College, a christian evangelical school in Mishiwaka, Indiana. The school’s website declares: “The Bible is the divinely inspired, only infallible, authoritative Word of God, and the unchanging rule of faith and practice”.

As you might expect, his Christian faith is very strong and a central aspect of his life. He believes that baseball provides him a forum, directly or indirectly, to spread the word of God and to be a positive influence in the lives of the people who surround him and with those people he comes into contact.

———————————————————

Justin believes simply acts of kindness, like signing an autograph, are essential aspects of sharing his faith… here, he signs autographs in Ft Myers on St Valentine’s Day AP photo

———————————————————

S1F: In the off-season, do you go back home to Beavercreek, Ohio?

JM: Yeah, I go back to connect with friends and family. I won a scholarship, the Warner Prize for Leadership, it’s a $5,000 a year four-year scholarship, which is a pretty good scholarship. They have a brunch every winter, and they name new recipients each year, and I always go back for that. It’s fun to go back and see everyone and talk with them and to find out what everyone is doing now. It gets a good turnout and it’s neat to see everyone and talk with them. And of course I love to go back and hang out with my friends and family.

S1F: You have said: “The Christian faith is near and dear to my heart… I love baseball, but it’s something I do, it doesn’t define me. I follow Christ and I try to set that perfect example everyday, that’s what is most important in my life”. You’ve also said that baseball provides you a platform to spread the Good News… how do you use the platform that’s been given to you?

JM: There are so many ways it can be used, and for me there are a lot of opportunities.

This is the first off-season that I’ve been married, and I really felt like it was a great time to sit back a little and spend some time with my wife and give her the time that she’s needed. So I’m taking this time so that I can strengthen my marriage before I branch out.

In the off-season, I speak to youth groups and other such groups. Beyond that, what’s been neat is the simplicity of taking time to talk with fans, to shake a hand or sign an extra card. Of course, you can’t shake every hand or sign everything, so someone is going to be disappointed, but you go that extra step and it’s amazing how much the fans appreciate it. And it makes a difference because people see that you took that extra time, and in that way, not even in a religious sense, you’ve been able to positively impact someone’s life.

I do that because of the faith that I have. If you take the chance to be a positive influence, people see what you’ve done and say “Hey, there’s something different about that guy”. And they want to know more about you, and then guys like you (the media) help me to get the word out about who I am and what I believe in. That’s what helps me and gives me a chance to use the platform, because in some respects I’m not a guy who’s going to beat you on the forehead and say “you should believe in God”. In some respects I don’t think that’s what is supposed to be done as I’m walking through the clubhouse or talking to fans. I think there’s a chance to share my faith.

Jesus said, “Come to me in my kindness”, and so my thought is to go out and show my kindness to everyone and let them see the kindness. And through that (show of kindness) the opportunities have come. I find that through (those simple acts of kindness) I’m able to touch people’s lives. And then you get feedback from people, and that’s powerful. It’s crazy how small things, like just waving to someone, can have an effect.

S1F: I’ve read where you have said that all you can do is work as hard as you can, prepare yourself as best as you can, and then try your best… and after that, whatever happens, it is according to God’s plan. Whatever happens, you turn the page… tomorrow is another day. Does your ability to turn the page and leave a bad performance behind you derive from your faith?

JM: Yes. Exactly. It’s not a safety blanket or a security thing, it’s just the fact that I’ve prepared as well as I can and I’ve given all that I have on a particular day. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. I may not sleep well over it, but I know there’s more to life than just this game. Someone may hate me because I gave up two home runs, but in the end it’s a game – I’m still saved and going to heaven.

It’s that kind of ‘eternal thinking’ that helps me have that calmness… no matter what the situation on the mound, there are a lot of people who have to deal with a lot worse situations than I’m dealing with. In a sense, everything has to be kept in perspective. There’s the competitiveness aspect of the game, and everybody has the drive to want to win, but you still have to keep things in perspective.

One time back in ’07, Manny (Ramirez) said that baseball’s just a game and everybody climbed all over him for it. But Manny wasn’t saying he wasn’t going to try, he was just expressing his realization that (baseball) is a game and he wasn’t going to kill himself if he did something bad. He was saying that he was going to be disappointed and upset, and wish he had done better, but he was prepared to move on and try again.

S1F: When you say that things happen and that they are in God’s plan, do you believe that we have the ability to change his plan, to affect his plan, or is everything pre-ordained as part of his plan? And I don’t necessarily mean that we could shake the plan to its core, but do you think the choices we make can move His plan, even if only a little?

JM: I’m a mover… maybe not a shaker, but definitely a mover. I like the way you put that. I think that’s a good description of the way I feel. I feel that there’s a sovereign will of the Lord. There’s this overall plan that he sees for the world.

Let’s see, for me to say that God knows that I’m going to raise my right hand right now because that is in His plan… well that, in one sense, puts God in a box. I would rather think of an omniscient God who knows that right now I am thinking that I could lift my hand up or move it side-to-side or put it down… and that he knows what is going to happen from any of those four scenarios.

I believe that we have a chance to do things that will change our life. I think there may be times when He might shut some doors, where we are heading in a particular direction and he says ‘not yet’, and so we have to take a different path. But then that path can branch itself. If you’re a believer in Christ, then eternal life is the end plan, but as we work our way there every person’s individual path is going to be different. There’s no cookie cutter. I can’t believe that everything is set in stone and we have no say over what is taking place. There are times when the divine hand of God comes down and makes a difference, but I also believe that there is a sense of free will. We have a choice.

Take Adam and Eve – I have no doubt that God knew there was a possibility that they would eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He knew that was a possibility and what would happen if that took place. But he also knew there was a possibility that they might NOT do that and that they could have chosen to stay within the communion and to walk with God and he knew where that choice would lead.

The big plan for everyone is for us to be in communion with Him and to worship Him, and I think God pre-ordained that from the beginning. He wants that for everyone. He wishes everyone to have a good life, and He’s sitting outside everyone’s door saying, “Whenever you’re ready, I’m waiting, and all you have to do is open (your door)”. I know for me that when this life is over I am going to heaven. I know for me that I am going to choose to walk in that communion with God as I go throughout life.

—————————————

Masterson Interview Part I

Masterson Interview Part II

Masterson Interview Part III

Masterson Interview Part V

Topics: Sox Player Interviews, Sox Players |