Jim Thome's 600th Home Run

Last night Jim Thome became just the 8th person in baseball history to hit 600 career home runs. From now on Thome's name will forever be listed alongside some of the greatest players in baseball history, including Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays.

Thome accomplishes this great feat in the midst of one of the darkest time periods in professional baseball - the steroids era. It is a time period where we have been let down by so many of our favorite stars, finding out that some of the greatest players in the game are nothing but cheaters. This has led us to believe that no home run hitter can be trusted. Every home run that's hit makes us wonder if it was done as a result of real hard work and sweat or simply with the aid of performance enhancing drugs. It is an era of baseball that has been crying out for a beacon of hope, for someone who can prove to the fans that great home run hitters who aren't cheaters, still exist. I believe that person could very well be Jim Thome.

Unlike Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and so many others, Tim Thome has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. He is a man who throughout his career has been nothing but a class act. He is a genuinely good person, a great ballplayer and a positive influence for his teammates in the clubhouse. No, he will never hit the 762 home runs Barry Bonds, and he never dominated the media like A-Rod, but that doesn't matter. Jim Thome is a man that fans can believe in, a beacon of light during very dark times.

Obviously this historic home run excites me because I am an avid baseball fan, but I think there is also a clear connection between Jim Thome's baseball career and our lives as Christians. I referred to Thome as "a beacon of light during very dark times" (a phrase which I admit I took from Sportscenter)...isn't that exactly what we are called to be as Christians? Jesus tells us very clearly in Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world". Thome didn't get the recognition that he deserved throughout his career, just as you and I probably won't be noticed for the good things we do with out lives. However, it's not the fame or the glory that's important...but rather being the best person you can be, the best and brightest light to the world you can be.