My pride stung when our teammate/coach wanted to move me from second base to catcher. The most excitement a slow-pitch catcher gets comes from the umpire handing her the ball. We played in a Slow-Pitch Summer Softball League made up of older teens and twenty-somethings. We had a decent record and were slated to play Brockway Glass. I knew nothing about them other than they all worked together in a glass factory. However, Coach Cathy had seen them play. For this game, Cathy wanted me to play catcher! Arrgh!
We were warming up when the other team arrived. As they passed by, each towered over me and weighed twice as much. Their job descriptions at the glass factory must have required great girth, superior strength, and an intimidating glare. Cathy looked me in the eye and said, “Get ready. We’re coming to you tonight.†I gulped, wondering if Cathy had something against me. This wouldn’t be a game; it would be a war.
Sure enough, they went ahead easily. We got our usual hits and scored a decent amount, but the score runs up quickly when all their players can hit it out of the park. Late in the game, they had runners on first and third with one out. The girl on third was their biggest girl. I prayed the batter would get out before a play came to me. Have you noticed that prayers aren’t always answered the way we want? The batter hit a hard ground ball to Cathy at shortstop. The intimidating girl on third made her move for home. Cathy fielded the ball, touched second, and threw it to me. I instinctively stepped in front of the plate, set my feet, and got ready to protect the plate.
At the crack of the bat, the earth trembled and shook as the mighty player on third trudged toward home. (Maybe that was me trembling.) For what seemed like scores of minutes, everything moved in slow motion. I caught the ball and swung around to make the tag. That lumbering locomotive made tracks through me as I placed the glove in her midsection. I spun around like a top out of a Cracker Jacks box. After several rotations, I landed on my back. When the birds circling my head stopped chirping, I looked up and saw the face of the umpire standing over me, demanding, “Show me the ball!†I held up my glove with the prized ball buried deep in the pocket. The umpire yelled, “Runner’s out!â€
After the infield ran over to pull me to my feet, Cathy placed her hands on my shoulders and said, “That’s why I wanted you to play catcher!†As my elbow trickled red, I sarcastically replied, “Gee, thanks.â€
I believe God brought this story to my mind to remind me to hold on to what is most important no matter what comes my way. When we don’t understand God’s reasoning for repositioning us, we still hold on to our faith in His Word. We can still trust His coaching when our jobs, health, or service opportunities change. He’s seen every game Satan has tried to play and beat him time and time again. God knows what’s coming. “Your heart must HOLD ON to my words. Keep my commands and live. HOLD ON to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life.†(Proverbs 4:4,13 CSB)
The world can overwhelm us when we feel outnumbered, inferior, or intimidated. It takes confidence to step onto the playing field day after day, knowing our faith will get a little scuffed up. I love how Joni Eareckson Tada put it, “Faith†is just a word — a fancy, religious word — until it is put to work and scuffed up. Until it emerges from the work of life with a little holy grit on it.â€
As a quadriplegic, Joni understands holy grit more than most. Just because something is hard doesn’t mean we stop playing the game! Having our faith trickle red once in a while shows the world we have the confidence to take a stand. Our hope rests in the promise that there will be no more scuffing in Heaven. “Christ was faithful as a Son over his household. And we are that household if we HOLD ON to our confidence and the hope in which we boast.†(Hebrews 3:6 CSB)
As we get older and our faith deepens, we continue to have a choice. We can hold on to bitterness, insecurity, pride, fear, and anxiety. OR, we can hold on to what matters most. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; HOLD ON to what is good, reject every kind of evil.†(1 Thessalonians 5:16-21 NIV) In short, we hold onto our faith. When we get run over by life and confidently hold tight to our trust in God, there will be great joy among our faithful friends and amazement from bystanders.
One day soon, God may look at each of us and say, “Show me your faith.†May we all open our hearts to display the prize of faith buried deep within and hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Welcome home.â€
