The Ring They Didn't Have to Give

On October 14, 2003, a twenty-six-year-old fan named Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs were five outs from reaching the World Series. After the deflection, the Florida Marlins rallied for eight runs. The Cubs lost the game, then the series.

Bartman received death threats. He needed a police escort to leave the stadium. He disappeared from public life entirely, never granting a single interview. For thirteen years, his name was a curse word on the streets of Chicago.

Then in 2016, the Cubs won the World Series, ending their 108-year championship drought. And the organization did something remarkable — they presented Steve Bartman with a World Series ring.

Not because he earned it. Not because the wound wasn't real. But because holding someone hostage to their worst moment eventually imprisons everyone.

Paul wrote to the Colossians, "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13). God doesn't wait until we deserve restoration. He extends it while we're still hiding in our shame.

Forgiveness isn't pretending the hurt never happened. It's choosing, like those Cubs, to offer a ring instead of a fist — belonging where there was only blame.