Gina Bridgeman, writing in Guideposts 1999, tells the story of two-time All Star Nate Colbert, who, as a San Diego Padres rookie in 1969, hit a big home run in the first inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves.

His next time up at bat, the huge ovation he heard from the crowd brought tears to his eyes. To compose himself, he walked to the on-deck circle where his teammate Cito Gaston was waiting to bat.

“Cito, can you believe how great those fans are, cheering and clapping for me like that. I feel so proud,” Colbert said.

Gaston shook his head and said, “Look at the scoreboard.”

Colbert looked up. In five-foot-high letters the scoreboard read: MAN HAS JUST WALKED ON THE MOON.

Gaston laughed and said, “I just hope you can hit as big as your head!”

We’ve all used the story of the woodpecker whose tree was struck by lightning and thought he had brought the tree down himself. This is a different way of making the same point-that sometimes we want to take credit when a far greater power is at work in the world.

— From Brett Blair, cited on http://www.eSermons.com