As you may or may not know, it is baseball season. As a baseball player myself, it is my favorite time of the year. Sitting in the dugout injured this season, I find myself paying more attention to the little things. I noticed something as my teammate stepped into the batter’s box for the third time last game; he does a little kick the dust dance before he steps out, collects himself, and steps back in the batter’s box. Then he just has to do his butt wiggle, and he is ready to hit -- he does this every single time, without fail. Baseball players are superstitious; almost every single player has one “ritual” they consistently do. I even see this when watching pro baseball. The crazy thing is, it is not just baseball players who are superstitious, most athletes have some kind of superstition. Our team went on a 13 game losing streak. After about the ninth loss we had a bonfire to burn things, hoping it would turn our luck while knowing it had nothing to do with the fire. If we start hitting well and get on a rally, everyone has to stay in the same spot in the dugout. I have known teammates to grow playoff beards, or worse, wear dirty underwear. This begs the question, “where does superstition fit into a Christian worldview?”
I think it completely depends on how we view the so called “superstition.” When it really comes down to it, most superstition is just a routine: something to get you comfortable and ready to compete. Proverbs 21:31 says, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle but, the victory belongs to the Lord.” As an athlete, you do all you can to ready yourself for the game (or competition), but in the end it is not up to you because the control goes to the Lord. Routine can be superb. An example of this is getting into a routine of reading the Bible and doing devotions at the same time every day. If this routine or ritual helps you be more consistent with them, then it is helping you glorify God. I like to think of the saying, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” If your innocent routine is just to prepare yourself for the battle you are about to face, then don’t worry about it being sinful; just remember who you play for. However, an important question to ask yourself is this: “If your routine gets disrupted, distorted, or rushed can you still be successful?”
When we start to fall into sin, it is because we start to idolize the routine (superstition). If in our minds we think, “I will fail unless I do this,” then we are putting our faith in the routine instead of God. Many pitchers jump over the foul lines as their superstition. If they accidently step on the line, then they think they are going to lose. That is idolatry because you’re mentally giving the foul lines the power to determine how well you will pitch. Even when we use Bible verses, we have to be careful that we don’t fall into idolatry. Tim Tebow is a perfect example of this. If he thought putting John 3:16 on his eye black caused him to win, then he is falling into sin. It is part of his routine to put it on, but what if he forgets the eye black one day? He still goes out and plays for God’s glory because he does not idolize the verse and doesn’t believe it is more powerful than God Himself. Tebow wears his eye black so people look it up, ultimately glorifying God by sharing the gospel.
Until recently, I have never really given this superstition thing much thought. Maybe it is because I have never been very superstitious, “just a little stitious,” as my teammate David says. Superstition walks the fine line between the routine you get in to properly prepare yourself and idolatry. If you are putting God first and seeking to glorify Him alone, then you aren’t sinning. I try to remember Psalm 115:1, which says: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
(I want to give a big thank you to Dr. Randy McKinion who played Division I college baseball and is the Assistant Dean of the School of Biblical and Theological Studies. Also, I would like to thank Gio Llerena who is the team chaplain for the Tampa Bay Rays.)