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CBN.com – Carlos Beltran blasted his way into the big leagues with the Kansas City Royals in ‘98. His career shot out of the ballpark with batting averages over .300. Because of his power, speed, and ability to be outstanding at the plate and in the outfield, he’s considered to be a “five-tool player. Now in New York, the saga continues.
New York Mets Center Fielder Carlos Beltran is a force to reckoned with on the field. In the last few years, his numbers have been astounding. He’s currently ranked amongst the top players in the league. You may wonder how this 28-year-old handles all the attention. Well, according to him, there’s really only one thing that matters.
“A lot of people told me that it’s difficult,” Carlos tells The 700 Club. “I say, well, it’s a little bit difficult, but when you’ve got God in your heart, you don’t worry about so many other things. You come to the ball park, play the game and have fun. If you have a good game, give the honor and glory to God. If you have a bad game, continue give the honor and glory to God because He has control of everything.”
God wasn’t always a part of Carlos’ life. In fact, he had some reservations about the Christian life style.
“When you accept Christ, people start thinking, well, if I accept Christ I need to walk now with a Bible under my arm and can’t look to the left, can’t look to the right. So I was kind of confused. I thought when I was going to accept Christ, the next day I was going to be like, ‘I’ve got to change my attitude.’ But that’s not the way it is. He changes you little by little. The things that He doesn’t want you to do, He takes those things away from you. He takes little by little. Things that were important to you, they become not important to you.”
While at Kansas City, his career was on the rise. On the outside it seemed like he had everything...
“We’re all human beings,” Carlos says, “born with a little defect, and that little defect is the hole in your heart that can’t be filled by anything except Christ. I was in Kansas City, and everything was good with me and my wife. But something was missing; that was Christ.”
Little did Carlos know that one night after a Bible study the hole in his heart would be filled.
“A friend of mine invited me to his house to have Bible study,” Carlos recalls. “I went there with my wife, and after the Bible study, the guy asked if we were willing to accept Christ. I just got to say that was best decision we have ever made.”
Now with a whole heart for God, Carlos had a new perspective on life and his baseball career..
“He changed me, and He continues to change me,” he says, “because He wants me to be an example for others. I pray every night to God to use me to reach people.”
Because of the business side of the game, he was traded to Houston in the middle of the season. Batting .455, he quickly became the hottest free agent on the market, tieing Barry Bonds' record for home runs in one post season. Many teams wanted him, but after serious prayer, he made the decision to go to New York. It was there that his prayer to reach people was answered.
“When I came here to New York, we didn’t have the prayer before the game time,” he says. “Now we have a group of guys. We started with like five and now there are like 10. They’re coming to that room to give the honor and the glory to God and to give the time that God deserves. God is not only the God of Sundays when we have chapel. He’s the God of everyday.”
So what things do these Major League ball players pray for?
“When we go into that room, we’re not looking for results. We’re not asking God, ‘Hey, let me go out there and go three for three.’ He knows what you need. We go in there just to spend time with Him, to thank Him for everything that He has given to us. I do believe that, if you want to be blessed, you have to spend time with God.”
That time spent with God certainly paid off one painful night in San Diego.
“That collision between myself and Cameron… a lot of people I know were scared, but I just gotta say, when you do things right in front of God’s eyes, He will protect you. He never will let you down because it's in His Word.”
Carlos Beltran may be one of the great ball players of our time but he says that’s not what he’s playing for.
“I take the field with the mentality to play not for the New York Mets," Carlos concludes. "I take the field thinking to play to please God. Everything I do out there [is] to be an example, to do things right in front of His eyes because I know that, if I do those things right, He will be proud of me. Like I said, the best decision I ever made was accepting Christ because He changed me.”
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