One of my favorite times of the year has always been baseball season. Ever since I was a young boy playing baseball, it has always been something that has impacted my life in a big way and has always been my favorite sport because I always felt like it was a sport that I could show my individual talents better than any sport that I had ever played. Yes, it is a team sport but the pressure it puts on an individual can be exciting, and I always love a challenge. I think one of the reasons I also love baseball more is because I was pretty good at it and I always had pretty good coaches to direct me into making the best decisions on the mound, plate, bases or field.
I played many positions but my favorite was pitching because I felt more in control of how the game would play out. I have been on the winning side of pitching and the losing side of pitching but the results of the games I pitched in had never hurt my desire to keep trying and progressing to getting better the next time out. I always relied on God to help me in my confidence and He always put those coaches in my life that would push me to the next level. No, I wasn’t good enough to go to college and play baseball or the majors but that never took away the fact that I was good enough for the coaches to trust me in certain situations whether it was starting a game on the mound or being the closer at the end of the game.
God is the same way for us, he trusts that we will lift Him up in any situation that we are faced, especially when the game seems to get away from us, yet he expects us to always progress in sharing the gospel to others. Sometimes the end result won’t be an immediate victory but this game of life is long and we have to make sure that we are understanding that nothing is impossible with Him and that we serve a God that makes all things possible if we trust Him. Again, just like any sport if you do not have a good coach that can lead you into the right direction, it becomes much more difficult to progress in a positive way. Just like Jesus instructs us in life, the coach’s instruction is very crucial in deciding how the game will turn out.
I am at my stage in life where I get to coach my kids in Tball and Softball this year and each sport and age is way different but each are the same in that the kids both need to progress and in order to progress in the right direction, it is my job as their coach to show them what to do and where to run. God is the same way, we should be allowing him to show us what to do in each of our lives because ultimately it is His life too. When He tells us to run in one direction, are we running the opposite? He doesnt want you perfect, He knows you never will be but He wants your best. Have you given your best for Him?
God knows that this world can cause us to stumble and sometimes fall, but He expects us to get back up and learn from the mistakes, repent and keep moving forward while leaning on his direction. It’s not about perfection, its about the progression of our hearts and if we are always moving towards His direction for us not our own, nothing can stop us. The guidance of Jesus is so important for the walk because if you try to walk alone in the dark you will get lost but if you have the light to guide you, never will you be lost. Keep moving forward because progress is always a good sign in doing the work for the Lord but remember good works doesn’t get you into Heaven, faith does. And when you make an error in this game called life, shake the dirt off and try again. May God bless you today and may this verse help you progress in His direction for your life.
1 Corinthians 15:58 says, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
