.....take a swing at it and see where it lands.
I have never been a big fan of baseball, the pace is too slow and the players get paid WAY too much. But over the course of the last six months I have learned to reexamine life and take a second look at things I thought I had already made up my mind about. Maybe I could learn a few things from the "All-American Sport." (Oh boy, you KNOW my life has changed in a big way if I'm about to go with a baseball metaphor!)
Lesson 1: Slow Pace - I came charging into this world at 3:13 am on the day I was born. I could not wait to get my day started. My Mother says I have not slowed down since. I try to pack more things into one day than most people try to do in a week. For a long time I thought it meant I was being "productive, efficient, in control" but now I'm beginning to wonder. I wonder what I am trying to prove. I wonder what I am trying to accomplish. I wonder what I am trying to hide from. I wonder what I am afraid of.
When life moves at a Slow Pace you are able to experience every moment of the world around you. You have to face reality and wrestle with it. You have time to observe, time to evaluate, time to process and time to make a wise choice.
God knows, all too well, that I am in desperate need of all of that!
Lesson 2: Getting Paid To Do What You Love - Now I still think those MLB guys bring home a disgusting sum of money in the face of world poverty, local homelessness and individual economic challenges, BUT it is not their fault. They are just fortunate enough to get paid to do what they love. I bet the majority of them would still play ball even if they had their salary cut in half. Sure there are some of them that are in it for the money but more often than not the "Boys of Summer" feel blessed to just walk out on that field everyday.
Have you ever experienced that? Being able to do what you love, truly love, and maybe you were even lucky enough to be compensated for it. Do you know the pleasure of using your gifts and talents in a way that brings you joy and gives God the glory? Have you ever said "...and they are paying me to do this!" Or have you ever thought "...they don't even need to pay me, I just love this so much."
So... here I sit, facing down a spinning curve ball that is flying my way. Am I going to take my own "advice"? Have I learned that it is more important to take it slow, and do what God has gifted me to do? Am I ready to give up the control and surrender in the way that will enable me to release my white knuckle grip and swing through a hit that sends that curve ball out of the park?
My prayer for today is that I have listened to my coach (God) and my teammates (friends and family); that I am prepared to use the blessings I have been given in a way that will bring Heaven a little closer to Earth. I pray that I can release my plan for God's plan, even if I don't fully know what that is yet. I pray that when I slow down I will see things that God sees. I pray that when I do what I love it will be a reflection of what God loves. I pray that when I get to the 7th inning stretch I will be pleased with how I played the first part of the game and I will be energized to finish strong. I pray that YOU are willing and able to join me in the game. The game of life where you will be thrown curve balls, sliders, and knuckle balls; all of which you will be prepared to rocket over the outfield wall through the strength Christ Jesus has placed in you.
Until We Meet Again,
Drea
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