“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” –Psalm 27:1
This fall, our daughter, Mary Beth made a big transition. She moved from playing tee-ball to playing machine pitch softball. She had truly enjoyed tee-ball, but her age required her to move to the next level of play.
She was excited when the first day of practiced arrived. She put on her cleats, grabbed her glove and was ready to go. There was only one little problem; she would now be batting a ball coming at her at 34 miles per hour. This ball would be hurled at her by a three-legged pitching machine that made all kinds of funny noises.
It was easy for Aimee and me to see that she had not had enjoyed her first practice. It took just a little interrogation to reveal that she was not a fan of the pitching machine. In fact, she was afraid of it.
Her fear, and worry about what could happen, because of this new contraption on the field, took the joy of the game away from her. She had never really seen a pitching machine and her imagination was running wild. When she stood in the batters box during that first practice and her worry and fear caused her to close her eyes and hope for the best.
Closing our eyes in fear, letting our imagination run wild with worry, is no way to play ball and it is no way to live life. Even if we are willing to swing at the ball, it is hard to make contact when our eyes are closed.
When Mary Beth went to the next practice, she listened to her coaches and her trust in them and her hard work helped her to overcome her fear. Now, she stands in the batter’s box, eyes wide open, and swings for the fences.
What fear or worry do you have that keeps you from trying something new? As a people of faith we are not called to live life in fear, but to trust in God. When we put our faith in God, open our eyes, and swing away we will find that our fears were only keeping us from the enjoying life to the fullest.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
