Trot Nixon: Come What May

By Will Dawson
The 700 Club

CBN.com – Trot Nixon is known for his hustle and his defense. In January of this year, he signed with the Cleveland Indians after 10 years with the Boston Red Sox. He gained a reputation there as a scrappy right-fielder, but his crowning moment was his two-run double against St. Louis that clinched the World Series for the Red Sox in 2004. Just hours after the biggest win of his career, Trot remembers the emptiness that followed the celebration.

He recalls, "I sat there in my seat at 3:30 in the morning after we got back from St. Louis going, 'Is that it? OK, we just won the World Series.’ You expect so much more to come from that [besides] 'Yeah, we won it.' All the fans are going crazy and it was a great time, but it dawned on me: ‘This is what you had on your pedestal. You glorified the World Series, and now that it’s over, it’s over.'"

But Trot has something that gives him hope for the future — a faith in Jesus Christ.

"Chaplain Walt Day was tremendous with my wife and I and spent a lot of time in Bible study with us, reading scripture, helping us grow."

He says God has given him the strength to be bold in sharing his faith.

"The best thing I can tell people is: the more you tell people about God, He’s going to give you the things you need to say," Trot says. "It’s just a matter of stepping outside yourself, going out there and doing it. The biggest thing is you might reach somebody. You may reach 100 people. It may come back to you that night. It might come back a year later."

Trot uses the camaraderie of the clubhouse to share the gospel with his teammates -- no matter how strange the request.

"They say, 'Run off to chapel and tell God to allow me to get a couple hits.' I've had guys joke about that, and I say, 'Why don’t you come to chapel, sit there in the back, listen to what our chaplain has to say and maybe talk to God a little one-on-one. Some people get quiet, change the subject real quick because I believe they know that’s what they should be doing. That’s what they’re yearning for. They just don’t know how to do it."

Despite the postseason success Trot has been bitten by the injury bug, limiting his playing time. But he says adversity puts life in perspective.

"I had off season back surgery that just came out of nowhere, and I thought my career was over. I let it affect me. I let it affect my family. My wife just kept reminding me, 'God’s got a plan for you.'"

God has given him a second chance in Cleveland, and he’s making the best of it. Despite the ups and downs, Trot says he’ll never take anything for granted.

"God allowed me to get out of bed this morning and take a breath. That’s the little things that we forget about. I should thank Him a lot more than I do. I don’t think we realize how precious each breath that we take is. The next breath we take is not guaranteed to us."

From a World Series championship to possible career-ending injuries, Trot Nixon knows whatever may come He’ll put it in God’s hands.

"You have a lot of ups and downs. You battle yourself, you go to the depths, and you know that Christ is there for us. But Satan's really beating down on you. I'm not here to question what God does, because He has a purpose and a reason for everything that He does in this world for each of us."