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It might seem at first glance that baseball is a strange analogy for building belief, but stick with me here. When I was growing up in the Midwest, my summer nighttime activities stretched long into the evening. While the Earth rotated closer to the sun, the kids in our neighborhood enjoyed playing baseball on the flat green lawn next to my mother’s vegetable garden. Lacking players for even one full team, we rotated positions as we took turns at bat.
“Hey batter, batter,” we called to each hitter as they stepped to the plate, tightening their grip on the bat. A hit into the outfield sent us all scrambling to catch a fly ball while jumping over a few stray dandelions. The game ended when a shout from our moms called us inside or when the mosquitoes became too numerous to ignore.
We played baseball to fill the summer hours as we ate bologna sandwiches washed down with glasses of red Kool-Aid. We didn’t know that those childhood games of baseball were guiding us into practices that would aid us as adults in building belief in God.
As we rounded the bases on a perfect summer evening, baseball taught us to hit home runs of faith.
4 Lessons for Building Belief Through Baseball
You are Welcome on the Team
If a kid could lace up a pair of Converse All-Stars or a generic equivalent from the shoe store on Main Street, we would welcome everyone on our neighborhood team.
In the same way, you are welcome on God’s team, no matter your size, your skin color, your income, or if you cheer for the Yankees or the Cubs.
Galatians 3:28 in the Common English Version of the Bible reminds us, “Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.” Come join the team and start building faith in community with other followers of Jesus.
You Have a Unique Position to Play
A muddy corner in the yard made left field the least desirous position for our neighborhood game. But without a player at that position, a line drive into the corner resulted in a home run for the other side.
Are you feeling stuck out in left field? Don’t despair. You are as valuable as the catcher or first baseman. God has created a position just for you.
Ephesians 2:10 in the New American Standard Bible says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Keep building belief as you lean into the position God has for you to play.
Keep Stepping up to the Plate
Everyone praise a professional baseball player who bats .300. But that means they’re not getting a hit 60% of their at bats! A valuable swinger misses more than they connect.
So yes, baseball will teach you about failure. But more than that. Like the Kingdom of God, baseball teaches you to hope, to keep trying.
2 Chronicles 15:7 in the New International Version encourages us with these words, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”
Do you feel like you’ve been striking out lately? Don’t give up! Step up to the plate one more time and keep building belief.
Stay Focused on Home
Our neighborhood friend Neal was the only slugger on the team, ripping the ball over the dirt driveway for an automatic home run. The rest of us made our way around the diamond one base at a time. But we still had a similar focus: Make it home.
Philippians 3:14 in the New Living Translation says, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Don’t lose heart. As part of God’s team you have Jesus on your side, coaching you all the way around until you make it home. Building belief in God’s goodness and grace takes laser focus on the end goal.
Listen to a short segment of this meditation from Abide based on Colossians 3:1-2. Let God speak to your heart about what it means to keep your eye on the ball as you’re building belief.
Want to Get into the Game to Help You in Building Belief?
It’s another perfect summer evening with a slight breeze blowing from the east. Grab your glove and head out to the ballfield because you are needed on the team.
Step up to the plate and start building belief as you take a swing at your own home run of faith. You will be glad you did.
“Hey batter, batter.”
Need more encouragement in building belief? The Abide app exists to help you draw closer to God. Our 1500+ guided meditations, more than 400 Bible-based sleep stories, and daily meditations want to be on your team. Use this link for 25% off a premium subscription, giving you access to our entire library of content.
Lynne is the author of Under a Desert Sky: Redefining Hope, Beauty, and Faith in the Hardest Places. She is also a contributing author on multiple books for Guideposts. She loves hiking with her husband, Kevin, and pound puppy, Mollie, in the desert near their home in Chandler, Arizona.
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