In baseball, there are starting pitchers, who have a set of skills and a mentality geared toward the front end of a game. The starters usually give way to a closer at the end of the game. When I was growing up there were great closers in baseball like Goose Gossage, Dennis Eckersley, and Lee Smith. These men had skills and a mentality to give them an intimidating fresh fire to finish the game. It is an awesome thing to see these men work.
The further I go along my walk with the Lord, the more I see how God has designed things in such a way that each of us have our own positions to play. Some are starters and some are finishers.
I have found that position contentment is not always as easy a concept to develop as it may seem. I saw it when I was coaching my sons youth football team. At almost every single practice, I would tell our boys, "One or two of you will handle the ball on a consistent basis. But it takes every single player, doing their job, to win the game." At this point in their lives they hadn't fully bought into this idea yet, but as they have grown I have seen the progress in their lives.
It isn't easier for adults either. We don't want to be pigeon holed into one position. Many of us struggle with just playing a role, and playing it well, simply because our hearts often want more than we have. Which leads me to my point: God is the ultimate closer.
We, as Christians, are called to live our lives in such a way that others see God at work in our lives. We are called to live our lives verbally too. By speaking freely about how God is working in us.
When it comes to me and how I relate to people, there is no biblical mandate, or pressure, calling on me to seal the deal. And there is no sales guide to help me overcome the objections someone might throw my way. My role and my responsibility is to sow the seed of God's word by being a living witness who actively speaks and lives under the same covering of truth as the blind man in John Chapter 9 verse 25 which says, "He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."
My role is exactly like the role of a starting pitcher: I set the table and God closes the deal. What happens beyond the sowing is up to God.
The further I go along my walk with the Lord, the more I see how God has designed things in such a way that each of us have our own positions to play. Some are starters and some are finishers.
I have found that position contentment is not always as easy a concept to develop as it may seem. I saw it when I was coaching my sons youth football team. At almost every single practice, I would tell our boys, "One or two of you will handle the ball on a consistent basis. But it takes every single player, doing their job, to win the game." At this point in their lives they hadn't fully bought into this idea yet, but as they have grown I have seen the progress in their lives.
It isn't easier for adults either. We don't want to be pigeon holed into one position. Many of us struggle with just playing a role, and playing it well, simply because our hearts often want more than we have. Which leads me to my point: God is the ultimate closer.
We, as Christians, are called to live our lives in such a way that others see God at work in our lives. We are called to live our lives verbally too. By speaking freely about how God is working in us.
When it comes to me and how I relate to people, there is no biblical mandate, or pressure, calling on me to seal the deal. And there is no sales guide to help me overcome the objections someone might throw my way. My role and my responsibility is to sow the seed of God's word by being a living witness who actively speaks and lives under the same covering of truth as the blind man in John Chapter 9 verse 25 which says, "He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."
My role is exactly like the role of a starting pitcher: I set the table and God closes the deal. What happens beyond the sowing is up to God.
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