At Bat

Babe Ruth had hit 714 home runs during his baseball career and was playing one of his last full major league games. It was the Braves versus the Reds in Cincinnati. But the great Ruth was no longer as agile as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning alone his errors were responsible for most of the five runs scored by Cincinnati. As the Babe walked off the field after the third out and headed toward the dugout, a crescendo of yelling and booing reached his ears.*

Some days we strike out.  We make errors.  We take our eyes off the ball or play hurt.  For whatever reason things don’t happen the way they are supposed to or even close to the way they did in times past.  It causes us to doubt our calling, snap at our closest family members, or wonder why God doesn’t seem to care.   

Life seems to be booing at us from all sides.... from the bleachers to the box seats.  

Ever have a day [a month... a year...] like that?  Ever struggled to get out of bed in the morning for fear of rejection, ridicule, or retaliation?   

Even hall of famers have those feelings.  

Even the best have rough days.

Look at Paul... He wrote most of the New Testament... was the greatest Christian missionary the world has ever seen...  and he wrote what happened to him.

“But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.  I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.”

All of us (even Paul) have challenges.  Sometimes the world hurts us... and sometimes we miss the ball on our own.  And what are the typical reactions? 

Stop trying.  No risk... no hurt.   

No body cares... so why should I?

No fair.  I’m trying to do the right thing and getting picked on because of it.

Sometimes we just need to be reminded that somebody cares.

Let’s look at the rest of the Babe’s story...

“Just then a boy jumped over the railing onto the playing field. With tears streaming down his face, he threw his arms around the legs of his hero. Ruth didn’t hesitate for one second. He picked up the boy, hugged him, and set him down on his feet, patting his head gently. The noise from the stands came to an abrupt halt. Suddenly there was no more booing. In fact, hush fell over the entire park. In those brief moments, the fans saw two heroes: Ruth, who in spite of his dismal day on the field could still care about a little boy; and the small lad, who cared about the feelings of another human being. Both had melted the hearts of the crowd.” *

Even though what Babe did at the plate was disappointing...

Even though what Paul suffered was crippling...

Even though what you woke up to seems too big to overcome...

Even though failure and pain happen... 

Someone cares.  

God cares.

Psalm 55:22 “Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

Isaiah 41:10

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Philippians 4:7 “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Finally, Jesus tells us:  

John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

You are cared about, loved, and watched over every minute of every day.  Thank God for that… keep your head up… and praise Him in the days of the home run AND the strike out.  You’ll be back up at bat soon enough…  

*Ted W. Engstrom, The Pursuit of Excellence, 1982, Zondervan Corporation, pp. 66-67.

Agitation

Have you ever looked inside your washing machine and wondered how it gets clothes so clean? You might be surprised to know that it isn’t just the soap… or the hot water… it’s that column in the middle that usually has plastic fins that rotate all the way around. It’s called an agitator… and without one, your clothes would smell better but they wouldn’t be clean. During the wash cycle, this agitator forces the clothes to move around… from the bottom to the top of the water and back down… preventing laundry from just floating on the surface. This constant movement allows the soap and water to fully saturate the materials and clean the clothes.

Agitators in a washing machine make it work to it’s fullest potential. They do the same thing in our lives as well. Our agitators take many forms… those that bother us, those that are jealous of us, those that disagree with our decisions, or those that just plain rub us the wrong way. They agitate, irritate, instigate, and infuriate us to the point that we wonder why God allows them into our day-to-day. He does it because in dealing with them… we grow. James 1:3 tells us that testing produces endurance. Loving those that frustrate us builds character. Caring for those that don’t care for us allows us to be more like Christ. Anyone can be friendly to the friendly… but it’s when we extend grace to the agitators of life that we truly exhibit the character of the One who wants to see us grow through the process.

Everything Matters

In 1911, circus stuntman Bobby Leach, threw himself over Niagara Falls in a steel barrel. Amazingly, he survived the fall. Fifteen years later, Bobby slipped on an orange peel and broke his leg in the fall. When it didn’t heal properly, the leg had to be amputated. Eventually gangrene set in and that simple accident took his life.

Our lives are a lot like this tragic story.   We think all is fine because we survive the monumental challenges.. only to damage ourselves with what we consider to be little issues:  A lingering glance at a person who’s not your spouse... a slightly higher number on a report... a “little white lie” about your past ... all seemingly harmless in their own right.  However, they all lead to the same destructive place.  Proverbs 16:17 tells us “The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives.”  If we are going to live to our potential, we must intentionally keep watch for things that will throw us off course both big AND small.  And when we find one, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem, we need to seek God’s guidance and wisdom to avoid it.  

Getting Better

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4

When I went to college, I played a lot of basketball... and believe it or not, our team didn't win every game. As you would imagine, those losses hurt... but I remember an important truth that our coach shared with us. He said that the wins were better for our reputation but the losses were better for our game. Why? Because we discovered what we needed to work on to become even better!

Sometimes in life, we have losses. Setbacks. Challenges that appear pointless. Many of us look to Heaven... asking God that age old question... why? The answer is simple...If we won all the time...if everything always worked...many would think they didn’t need God. Failure reminds us that we can’t do it without Him... it teaches us lessons that develop our character... and as James 1 reminds us... it allows our faith and endurance to grow! I challenge you... the next time you face a setback... see it as an opportunity to get stronger and better equipped for future success.