It seems as though spring is finally here! With that, the baseball season is in full swing (pun intended). Growing up in Baltimore, I was a fan of the Orioles, and we hated the New York Yankees. However, I was more occupied with Johns Hopkins, because Maryland, at the time, was the lacrosse capital of the country. (I was not a crab guy, because I do not like to work for my food, but my mother made delicious Maryland fried chicken.)
Most professional athletes believe that hitting a baseball is the most difficult thing to do in sports. This makes baseball a unique team sport. Each individual batter steps into the batter’s box for a battle with the opposing pitcher. The strike zone runs from the armpit to the knee but is only 17 inches wide. In professional baseball the team’s pitching coach has a “book” on each batter. Most coaches know exactly where each batter’s weaknesses are. From the batter’s perspective, the ideal pitch would be right down the middle of the plate, the sweet spot. The pitcher’s objective is not to throw the ball in that sweet spot. They do throw the ball up to 100 miles per hour, thinking the batter cannot hit it.
I have learned over the years that playing baseball is like the discipline of following Jesus. Let me explain. Baseball players develop through a system of levels, from Low A to AAA. AAA means you are one phone call away from “the Show,” professional baseball. At every level, minor league players will say they have so much to learn. When they reach the “pros,” they will tell you they have so much to learn.
When it comes to our Christian lives, Jesus is a Rabbi, and we are students– with much to learn. My question is, why does God throw so many pitches that I can’t hit? It’s as if He’s deliberately trying to strike me out. Why all the curve balls? Perhaps he needs us to learn more. He does know our weaknesses, so maybe He’s trying to strengthen us. I have been following Jesus for sixty-six years and have learned that those curve balls, sliders, screwballs, and knuckle balls are trying to tell me something, usually something I need to face about myself. He wants me not to do better, but to be better. He wants me to be a real follower of His Son, looking more like Him every day.
Here’s the real kicker: the opposing pitcher is on my team. The game has already been won, so “batter up”!
In peace and love,
Ray Barrow
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