Home Runs

“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NIV)

When our son Michael was four years old he wanted to play tee ball in our neighborhood sports association.  We decided to give it a go and invested in the fees and team uniforms.  I have some of the most precious memories from that only season.  On one occasion, a ball was smacked from the tee and headed straight to Michael.  Everyone was screaming for him to catch the ball, but to our dismay we noticed that he was more interested in catching the sun rays through the slits in his glove, completely oblivious to the game.  On another occasion, the ball rolled right past his feet as he was putting dirt on the bill of his cap and spinning around watching the dirt fly.  He was no more invested in that game than the man in the moon.  You see, Michael looked the part but lacked the passion and focus.

How many times have we missed out on God’s game only to have the ball of blessings roll past our feet?  In our past, when have we peered through the narrow views of the flesh instead of the big spiritual picture?  If we sign up for God’s game we must be willing to invest in every aspect, play by play.  Some of our circumstances will feel like home runs with God waving us in, while others may feel like foul balls.  Sometimes we will feel like we have been cheated by the other team but must hang in there and believe with confidence that the eye of God is on every play. 

We can either spend our time watching the winds of our past sufferings, or we can plant our testimonies for the benefit of others.  Nothing will grow from our experiences if we are looking at the negatives, but we will reap the beauty of purpose and faith if we keep our head in the spiritual game and develop the focus and passion required.