Swing the Bat

Hey, gang.  This post is a day late, because I took a day off for Christmas.  I hope your Christmas was as blessed as mine.

 

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OK, imagine you’re back at Coors Field. It’s the bottom of the 9th.  Rockies are down by one, with bases loaded, and two outs.  Betancourt is at the plate, with two strikes.  The pitcher fires a fastball right across the numbers, and he just stands there, with his bat on his shoulder, losing the game by not even taking a swing.

This happens every day, in real life.  God puts opportunities in our path on a regular basis, but we miss them because we’re standing in the box, with our bats on our shoulders.

Sometimes, we don’t swing, because we’re waiting for a different pitch.  We expect a pitch that hitting will put us in a different company, when we were waiting for a pitch that would put us in a higher position in our company.

Sometimes, we’re afraid to get hit the ball.  God throws you a curve, putting someone in your path, when you really don’t feel like witnessing, and they look angry with life, and like they’re just waiting for a reason to unload.  We do what any major leaguer would do when the ball comes right at them, we jump out of the box.  We watch as the ball curves, and crosses the plate in the strike zone.

We just missed an opportunity to bring another man in, because we were afraid to be hit by the ball.  Yes, I’ve been hit by the ball, and, yes, it hurts.  If we allow ourselves to be hit, however, there is a reward, provided, of course, we don’t charge the mound.

If we had stood in the box, and kept our eyes on the ball, we would have seen the curve and gotten the hit.  It may have been a single, or it may have been a homerun.  We may have just planted a seed, or we may have brought someone all the way to Christ.

God may not always give us the pitch we want, but He always gives a pitch to hit.  Even when He hits us with a pitch, we are rewarded, if we stay in the box.  If we lose our nerve, however, and jump out of the box, we lose the potential reward He had for us.

We may miss the mark, even if we swing.  It is entirely possible to swing at a good pitch, and whiff it.  Like I tell my Little Leaguers, however, it’s much better to go down swinging, then to get caught looking.

Until next week, Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. — Deuteronomy 31:6