It’s time for baseball. The longest season in all of professional sports is about to begin. Think about it. With spring training starting the end of February and the World Series now stretching into early November, there are only two months out of the year without a professional baseball game scheduled. We are about to enter 10 months of baseball. No wonder Marti doesn’t like this sport. Not only does she think the games are long and boring, the season, in her opinion, is long and boring, too.
It reminded me of a sports comic strip that has a baseball player in the outfield thinking, “Who am I? Where did I come from? What is the meaning of life?” (In baseball, you actually have time to think about those things.) In the next frame the another outfielder is yelling at him to get his head in the game. So in the final frame, he’s thinking, “Who will hit the ball to me? Where should I throw it? What is the official paid attendance?”
I actually think that answering the first three meaning-of-life questions might prepare him better to play the game — certainly to play the game of life, which, if he’s thinking about it properly, would include everything he does including playing in the outfield. We all need to be grounded in who we are (we are made in the image of God and fully loved by Him), where we came from (we were spoken into existence from the very mind of God), and what the meaning of life is (to love God and enjoy Him forever). I would think you could play a pretty good outfield if you knew all that. Otherwise, he’s just a skill set. Obviously he has the skills or he wouldn’t be there, but what keeps him going with passion?
What keeps him leaping up against fences risking injury to get that ball? What keeps him running hard to first base even when it’s an obvious out? Is it because every coach he’s played for since little league told him to always hustle to first, or is it because he is playing to the glory of God? Living to the glory of God covers a whole lot of ground whatever it is you do. Sure you need the skill sets for whatever you are doing, but what sets you apart are having answers to the big questions.
We are all living out our destiny. There are no little people. We are all important in God’s eyes because we all come from God and are going back to Him. Get this settled and a lot of what you are doing will fall into place.
So come on, now. It’s a long season. Get your head in the game!
Listen to Noel Paul Stookey sing about being a kid in the outfield having a hard time keeping his head in the game. Click here.
John Fischer The Catch 
Thanks for the message today. So true about getting your head in the game. I have moments of depression and I pray more, and always have faith. Greg my husband said early this morning when you feel confused, depressed and then pray more. Satan likes to do that to anyone doing God’s work as he does not try to rob an empty house. Satan knows when you are close to God and he wants to take that away. I keep praying, having faith and reading great messages like this one. Take care, God Bless, and have a great day.
Bless your heart, Toni! Your comments made me fell like YELLING Praise God 4 Greg’s wisdom!
Try Again
PS and man did I laugh so hard over Paul’s song! Thank God I always played 2nd, 3rd Base or SS Never hit well but a lot of my coaches would brag on my & how comfortable they felt when a hard ball was hit my way and say its going to take a Canon to get through Seguin!
PS and I’m a tears now b/c how proud it would make me feel when my Dad would yell out to me way to go Mark – they know they can’t hit it harder to get pass you! You’re a vacuum cleaner out there – my boy! And this one game my team NEEDED hit and I strike out, I was crying like litte 7yr boy, but Dad ran up to me as I was walking off the field and put his are around me and gave me my favor Toostie Roll sucker and said it will be all right and there’s ALWAYS going to be another game….
How beautiful. You had wise, loving dad.
Amen!!! And it’s kind of funny too in that when I first became a new born-again believer my Dad jokingly wud call me a Jesus Freak – I’d often replied the word freak comes from fan and if that’s true, I am one of Jesus’s number one fans! It wasn’t until after I woke up from being in a 3 months coma. Did my Dad tell me he eve vied (sp?) me b/c for my faith & 4 a very long time I had 2 Churches jus about every Sunday wud jus pack in ICU & the Rehab units as I was coming out of the coma…
And I’ve told this story many times here in I DIDN’T know where I was, or what happened to me and I’d get out of these straps they used to makes sure I wouldn’t try getting out of bed and run off (and that’s kind of funny too in that I surely couldn’t run – in fact when I did finally wake up from it I spent days & weeks w/ these therapist teaching me how to walk….But this one night I couldn’t get out of these straps and one of them got caught around my neck and I can remember yelling out My God where am I and what’s going on! I guess from my yelling it loosen that strap – and ALL of sudden I remembered a song from Church (I learned from a gentleman here – it’s a Russ Traft song) “The Chains that seems to bind you will drop helplessly behind you when you Praise the Lord,” so I did – and I think the next morning I “woke-up” from the Coma and my parents just walked into the room and I remember my Dad giving me the biggest hug and my Mom fell to her knees thanking God and I’m getting a bit bothered! And yelled out Dad where am I and what happened to me??? Of course he told me I was in a serious car accident & I thought with my Mazda RX-7 and when he shock his head yes – Man was I bummed, LOL
PS before he passed away he made a profession of faith… – Praise God!!!!
For you, Mark 🙂
Ohhh my brother Bob TY, TY and one more thanks for blessing my heart – I cried like lil boy hearing this!
Also, it brought to mind, I remember before I sang, or tried to, LOL and that strap had loosen from my neck this thought came to mind My dear Lord Jesus I don’t know where I’m at or what happened to me BUT I know YOU know and I take a lot of comfort in that! And started trying to sing: Praise the Lord!
What an AWESOME God we serve! Amen!!!
You’re welcome, Mark, my pleasure!
The power of music that draws us closer to God is so amazing.
In fact, your last sentence reminded me of another song that still moves me to tears of joy and worship.
Yes, it’s a simple tune but it’s also a powerful and awesome song about our Awesome God:
My very dear brother Bob another great song! And another TY 4 posting it and from Reading Propose Drive Life by Rick Warren & in it he mentioned Pastor John and his musical talent is how I came to the Catch.
PS And that above song by Michael W Smith blessed me too and reminded me of fellow brother & one of his favorite saying was: “if the doesn’t bless you – your blesser is broken, LOL Also very cool video!