I've said this before. I like to play, but I'm not much of a spectator. I like to do things, not watch them be done. That in itself is no doubt a topic to be explored, but not one for today. Today I want to talk about trying.
To do anything, you have to try.
A number of years ago, my wife and I attended a small group through the church we had just started attending. We became good friends, then best friends with a couple we met there. That was in the Fall. The next Spring, that guy asked me to play softball on the Church League slow pitch team. Now, I had not played baseball since Little League, some 15 years earlier. My immediate response was, "No thanks; I wouldn't be any good."
My friend was persistent, though, and convinced me to give it a try. He took me out to practice a couple of times and I decided that I could pull it off without making a total fool of myself. I realized I might even enjoy it. I don't remember the first game, or the first season; that was over 15 years ago. What I do remember is that every Spring I looked forward to softball season, and I still do. All because I tried.
I'm not a great athlete.
I'm average. I can field the ball, I can (sometimes) place my hits, and I can run the bases. I also have a weak arm, am terrible about swinging at bad pitches, and have a tendency to either slide into base or dive after a fly ball (or both) and tear up my body. But you know what? I always do the best I can, and try to have a good attitude. And that's the point.
You don't have to be good.
To do anything, you don't have to be good. Especially when it comes to doing God's work. Moses could not speak well, but God chose him to lead a nation. Peter had the tendency to over-react and fly off the handle, but Jesus chose him to be the rock upon which He built His church. Those guys weren't perfect in man's eyes. In fact, they weren't even close. But God had a purpose for them, and because they tried and did their best, it all worked out in the end.
Sometimes you are going to strikeout. But sometimes you won't.
Striking out is part of the game. Watch the Major Leagues. Hit the ball three times out of ten and you have a good batting average. And it's not all about home runs. We all know that home runs get the glory, but those who understand baseball know that base hits win games. Solo home runs score one run. But a bases-loaded grand slam? That only happens if the guys before the power hitter get on base. Sure, the guy at the plate may get the glory, but it was the guys (or girls) before him that deserve the credit. It's their three runs that mean a lot more than his one.
Apply that to life. Whatever it is you do, sometimes you are going to swing and miss. Sometimes you are going to go down looking. You'll ground out, pop up, foul off and get beat to the bag. Probably more often than not. But, sometimes you'll make it. A base hit, maybe a double. And sometimes--oh glorious day!--you're going to hit the sweet spot and make that ball of life scream out of the park.
You'll never know unless you try.
I don't know what your game is in this old world, but I can guarantee you this: If you don't try, you'll never score. And who knows? You just might be the next Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, or A-Rod (scandals aside, of course). Isn't it worth a shot?
No comments:
Post a Comment