Category: Perseverance

  • Baseball – an analogy for the Christian faith walk

    Kids playing baseball - sliding is "safe"

    Back in the day, I used to coach baseball for kids. The kids were a lot of fun. The parents were a mixed blessing. Some years, the parents were a lot of fun. Other years, it seemed they were personal friends of the devil himself. Some parents were very supportive, and others couldn’t be pleased no matter what you did.

    Balancing the win-at-all-costs group with the let’s have fun group was always a challenge. Some parents were thrilled if their kids got to play at all. Others complained even if their kids played every inning because they felt their child would have been better utilized in another position. 

    When I coached the house league (baseballcommunity level, fun ball), I always worked hard to ensure the entire team got equal playing time wherever possible. When it was AA rep ball, you got playing time based on your abilities, although everyone saw at least some time in the field.

    The kids were always a mixed bag. Some had experience, and others had never thrown a ball before. Some were there because they wanted to play, and others were there because their parents thought it was “good for them” to be in sports or simply because the parents wanted a couple of hours of babysitting.

    There was a great deal of pleasure in seeing a child go from being afraid of the ball to being able to catch it and hit it. They were thrilled if a kid got a hit and was safely on base. At the younger ages, if they managed to work around the bases and get safely home, it was as good as a home run.

    As the kids got older, the occasional home run became a reality, and in some age groups, it became a regular thing. It was funny to watch them run the bases after a home run. Some ran the bases as fast as they could, others savored their moment a little more and ran slowly as they showed off the results of their hitting prowess.

    Baseball is a strange game. If you knock the ball out of the park, it’s a home run. No one can put the batter out, and the run is awarded. The run isn’t in doubt, but the batter must still do their run around the bases. A home run isn’t a shortcut; they must still run and touch all the bases.

    A home run is a good analogy for our Christian faith walk. All believers are, by God’s grace, home run hitters. Once we’ve accepted Jesus, we’re saved and have our gate pass to be with Jesus. Yet we’re not instantly taken into heaven. He still has things for us to do, and we still have to persevere. We still have bases to run.

    The Scriptures emphasize both our victory and our need to persevere.

    Once we have Jesus, we have overcome the world.

    Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:1-5 NIV

    We’ve won, but we still have to finish the game.

    Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:35-38 NIV

    The next time life throws you a curve ball, hang in there. 

    With Jesus, it’s going to be a home run.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

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    Sailing – Tossed about on the waves

  • Sailing – Tossed about on the waves

    Mirror Dinghy in full sail

    Kathy and I were taking sailing lessons off the  Eastern coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island. The craft we were learning in were small, two person, 12′ mirror dinghies. Each dinghy was just big enough to hold a couple of people learning the fundamentals of sailing.

    We had to learn a whole new vocabulary. Inboard. Outboard. Astern. Alee. Port. Starboard. Athwartship. Booms. Halyard. Winch. Spar. Mast. Spreader. Rigging. I can still remember the words, but I would be hard pressed now to remember what they mean.

    The feel of the breeze and the saltwater on your face is quite invigorating. Nearly tipping over a few times because of poor sailing techniques is even more exhilarating. Getting hit with the mast, pinching your fingers in the ropes—it’s all part of the fun of learning.

    Learning the sailing techniques and then actually using them in the sea was an enjoyable challenge. 

    Learning to maximize the use of the wind. Learning to tack or zigzag to play the wind. Learning the hard way about the no-go zone winds … when the winds come at the right angle to leave your sails flapping or “luffed,” when you cannot go anywhere.

    Too many years have passed now, and I confess that I have forgotten most of what I learned that autumn. In order to sail again, I would have to start with beginner lessons and refresh my memory totally. It was a delightful experience. However, I am glad we invested the time. 

    Sailing is both an art and a science. It takes technical ability and finesse to do it well. A sailor must read the winds and the waves, all the while keeping the destination in sight and being aware of any potential danger spots.

    Scripture speaks frequently of ships, which is surprising in a way, since we seldom think of Israel as being a seafaring nation. Yet, her neighbors were sailors, and the people of Israel had their share of fishermen. We are familiar with Jonah’s maritime misadventure and Paul’s shipwrecks. 

    The Bible talks of seafaring traders and the exotic goods they brought. The disciples had a fearful time while on the Galilee in a storm, at least until Jesus rebuked both them and the storm.

    Even today, Israel maintains a navy as part of its national defense program. Although the Navy is not as prominent as the Army or Air Force, it still plays a vital role.

    When scripture speaks of being adrift or tossed about on the waves, the people of Israel understood the concept. It was not something foreign to them. 

    When James said in his letter:

    Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 2:1-8 NIV

    His readers understood the concept. Stay the course. Persevere. Hold fast. God will come through despite the storms of life.

    We need to do the same. We may or may not ever have been on the sea to see the effect of the waves, but we do know that life can brew up some nasty storms to rest us. When they come, persevere and trust in Him. He is the anchor that will hold you fast.

    Until next time … when the storms come, batten down the hatches, trust God, and sail on.

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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