An Avenue to Ask – Chris Coghlan

By: The Increase
April 7, 2017

Chris Coghlan is a professional utility player for the Toronto Blue Jays

 

Chris Coghlan always pictured himself as a middle linebacker, playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He loved football; for him, baseball was just a hobby. But as he began to excel in the game of baseball, his hobby turned into his career. Today, Chris is a high utility player for the Chicago Cubs.

 

Growing up, Chris loved playing all types of sports. But as he focused on athletics, he experienced an event that would transcend any sport he’d ever played.

 

“When I saw my mom’s tears…” says Chris, “I just knew. I said, ‘What happened to Dad?’”

 

His worst fears were realized when he heard the news of his father’s tragic and sudden death.

 

“I was crushed,” he remembered. “I didn’t even know who God was, really, but I was mad at Him. I was thinking, ‘Why would You take the most important person in my life away from me?’”

 

As his shock and anger turned into mourning, Chris turned to baseball.

 

In 2006, when he signed with the Florida Marlins, Chris met someone who challenged him to discover what it means to have faith.

 

“I saw him reading his Bible in the clubhouse,” remembers Chris, “that was so out of the norm. He asked me if I was a man of faith and I asked, ‘What does that mean?’”