Teed Up

William wanted me to please go out in the front yard and pitch to him....but we had just gotten home from being our of town and I told him it would have to wait to another day. And then Catherine, who does not want to be left out, and ever the sportster said "and Sassy and I need a "t" so I can play too." And it got me thinking about the kids and their baseball endeavors. Blake, my six year old is playing and the coaches are pitching, William is playing off a tee, and well, Catherine, for the time being, is on the soccer field. But no matter where they are now, they stat with a tee. When we hear the phrase "tee it up," it so often applies to golf, but to my little ones, it is most definitely baseball. That baseball sits on a steady raised platform and the batter is responsible for connecting the bat with the ball. It is all a part of that hand eye coordination. There are no wild pitches, or strike out zones for the positioning of the ball has been set. The batter knows what to expect and has the potential to sent the ball soaring off its secured and set position. And that too is the way we often operate. When we know what to expect, and when things are running smooth in our lives, it is our responsibility to connect with the posed situation before us and swing to generate the ball into active motion. And we practice living life, with limited variation. But then we grow up and the ball is not longer on a set platform rather it comes from the hand of one who is not consistent in the delivery that comes our way and we have to make choices, based on our experience, our training, our core values and our analysis of an overall situation. We stand at the plate and have to make quick choices, do we let the pitch go by us or swing in confidence, through practiced evaluation in hopes of a good connect? The teed up approach is by far a more simpler dynamic and certainly a more comfortable one. But if we are ever to grow, God is going to place before us challenges that are not easy and are not comfortable. He wants to develop within us a mindset that encompasses his power, his approach and his coordinating efforts imposed by his training into our situations. Manmade pitches are going to be wild and catch us by surprise and some will even hit us hard as they come across the plate, but if we stand tall in confidence that God will help us to connect our faith and his wisdom with situations that are thrown at us we will be victorious in his shining light. The world does not see the game of life as God does. For there are only two teams, and the winning team has already been designated. The innings are filled with hits, bruises, outs and runs and even errors, but we who are on God's team will stand victorious at game's end. We just have to play one pitch at a time, infield or outfield, and embrace the challenge of growing up and letting go of the comfort of a controlled and teed up situation. When we trust God and adhere to his coaching and make choices that reflect the lessons we have learned through him and the hearing of his word, there is where we will find our greatest victory. 1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Dear Lord, Thank you for training us up on your teed up situations, and then growing us up as we advance into major league situations. Amen