Baseball
For better or for worse I am a devoted Astro Fan. And each night they play I try to either watch them or keep track by phone of the game in progress. My expectations are always hopeful for a win and sometimes that happens and sometimes not. Baseball, as most sports has an offensive and defensive factor. As an outsider looking on, the three essential parts of the game that I can relate to are the pitching, the batting and the fielders both infield and out including the catcher.
As I thought through this and how baseball could relate to my walk with the Lord, I came up with this personal analogy. As far as pitching, you never know what is gonna be thrown your way in life. The curve ball is one that we think is headed on path and then it suddenly deviates and curves in direction.…like plans that we make and how the expected course is quickly changed to the unexpected. The fast ball is something that comes at us fast giving us little time to think through something or to prepare for a probable outcome. And then there is the change up…an off-speed pitch that looks like a fast ball but comes in a bunch slower and requires us to rethink our expectations. Expectations are man-made and often times our expectations do not line up with God’s will. God allows the diversity of the pitches that are thrown in to our lives. And if we are willing and patient he will teach us a little something from each of them.
Batting is where the bat meets the ball, or doesn’t. We are at bat each morning of each day not knowing what is to come our way. And as I have heard it often said, the best batters are the ones who hold the bat loosely because it increases power and bat speed. “Your loose muscles are fast, and when you swing a baseball bat, there are millions of fast-twitch muscles that make the bat whip through the air.”I love this quote because if we hold life loosely and let God be in control, that is where those little fast twitch muscles of faith go into motion and we will find our success. But too many times we try too hard to manage what is thrown our way ourselves instead of asking God to direct our swings. There will be times when we whiff, when we sacrifice, when we get on base and even times when we hit a homerun but each time we get up to bat we are given an opportunity to do our best and be our best. Yes disappointment will sometimes send us back to the dugout but there God will be also to encourage us with his grace, in spite of defeat and give us the courage to get up and stand boldly again at the plate and defend it.
And finally we get to the fielders… what is their job? To play defense...and we too are called to battle for good over evil. There are fly balls and pop ups that we have to focus on and catch before they hit ground…those are the things that are up in the air, the ones we are working through, the ones that are out of our reach, and the ones we have to have patience with until we are able to grasp them and put them out of play. Then there are the grounders…the everyday life trials that are hit right toward us. In those we have to make a barricade between us and the ball, preventing it from going any further that it should. God is an invisible barrier that helps us keep things in front of us. Keeping fear, insecurity, resentment, failure and frustration at bay, so we can glove the trial before us in confidence. And then there are the balls that hit the wall and cause all kinds of mischief. When you feel like you have hit a wall…unlike the necessary baseball attempt to hurry, grab and throw…That is when we reach with faithful intent to act according to what we have learned through experience; that God can/will conquer even our roughest life scenarios and never leave us stranded. Regarding homeruns…they will always be over the head homers…and we just need to let em go…nothing we can do …but kiss em goodbye and let them fly in the past. Some things are just completely out of bounds for us to be able to work with, and those things we must release to the mighty hands of God. And lastly, the catcher…one of the teams crucial players; for he remains always a factor of God’s faithful oversight…and loves and protects the soul of your home base.
Baseball is just a game…there are winners and losers, but each of us who confesses our belief and love for Jesus Christ will always be a winner…for the game of life is in God’s hands and so are we.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Praise God wherever you are or whatever situation he has allowed you to be in...for his Glory will shine through!
