Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call focused on one Bible verse this MLB season, and it totally changed his mindset.
“I’ve been really praying and wrestling with that, just like, ‘God, help me to step into that spirit of power, spirit of love, spirit of self-discipline that you give,” Call explained on an episode of the “Access the Walk” podcast, referencing 2 Timothy 1:7.
The verse reads, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.”
“That is an objective statement that Paul makes right there,” the athlete continued. “I have been called. I have been brought into this place in the Dodgers clubhouse in Major League Baseball for God’s purpose. There’s a lot of big names, a lot of big, you know, stars in in our locker room. But that doesn’t mean that I need to be timid or fearful, because that is not from God. He doesn’t give us that spirit. He gives us the spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.”
“And so, I’ve been just kind of praying that verse over my life, praying that I would step into that, live into that and walk into that clubhouse with that mindset and that spirit,” the outfielder emphasized.
In July, Call returned to his hometown of River Falls, Wisconsin where he hosted the Homegrown Baseball Clinic with about 50 kids.
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While at the clinic, he gave the young athletes three pieces of advice for baseball and life.
“Have faith. Have faith in Christ, the one who brings peace no matter what you’re facing — have faith in yourself, believe you can do it and you can achieve what you’re dreaming about,” Call wrote in the caption of the post.
“Work hard. Be willing to do what others won’t,” he continued before adding the last piece of advice: “Have fun. It’s easy to work hard at what you love, and people want to be around someone who enjoys the work.”
Call loves giving back, which is why he teams up with the International Justice Mission, a non-profit organization that partners with “local justice systems around the world to build safe communities until all are free from violence and slavery.”
“This is where it all started for me,” he posted on Instagram alongside photos of him as a little boy playing baseball. “Just a kid getting the chance to play, dream, compete and fall in love with a game that helped shape my life. The hard reality is that millions of kids around the world do not get that same chance because they are trapped in slavery and exploitation.”
Although baseball is his occupation, Call’s purpose in life is to share the Good News, trusting that God’s Spirit has given him “power, love and self-discipline.”
Read Next: Dodgers Outfielder Goes All in on the Great Commission: ‘See Jesus’
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