I came across this February 09 interview with Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson the other day and thought it was worth sharing.

In part IV and part V of the 5-part interview with Sox1Fan, Masterson talks about his faith, and how his desire to share God’s love not only affects him off the field, but on it as well. It’s an interesting read if you’ve got a few minutes. If not, here’s a few quotes:

If you take the chance to be a positive influence, people see what you’ve done and say “Hey, there’s something different about that guy”. And they want to know more about you, and then guys like you (the media) help me to get the word out about who I am and what I believe in. That’s what helps me and gives me a chance to use the platform, because in some respects I’m not a guy who’s going to beat you on the forehead and say “you should believe in God”. In some respects I don’t think that’s what is supposed to be done as I’m walking through the clubhouse or talking to fans. I think there’s a chance to share my faith.

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It’s that kind of ‘eternal thinking’ that helps me have that calmness… no matter what the situation on the mound, there are a lot of people who have to deal with a lot worse situations than I’m dealing with. In a sense, everything has to be kept in perspective. There’s the competitiveness aspect of the game, and everybody has the drive to want to win, but you still have to keep things in perspective.

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That’s where it all comes from, the ability to say, “you know what, it happened, but God is good, he’s given me a chance to breathe another day, and I’m going to use it to try and please Him”. Even though today may not be the greatest day, there’s still an inner joy that’s deep within that can’t be taken away… it will keep me from a funk, keep me from a depression. And that enables me to approach the next day without carrying yesterday with me.

You can read the whole interview from start to finish at Sox1fan.com.