Monday Morning Devotion-May 10, 2021

Mix It Up

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.    Philippians 4:13

       Recently I was watching a baseball game on television (what else is new?) :)

Anyway, this one particular, scenario (at bat) that caught my eye provides the basis for this

devotion.  Don't worry if you are not a baseball fan this devotion will be about more than baseball---I hope.  It should provide the basis for some of the life decisions we make.

            Anyway, back to my baseball situation.  Truthfully, I don't even remember which game I was watching at the time or who the pitcher and batter were.  I just remember the situation and what I was thinking at the time. 

            As you may have observed due to the zillions of technological advances just about everything in life can be converted into a number. What is done can be measured, timed or somehow converted into life or lifestyle measurements.  Nothing is truer about statistical advancements than in the game of baseball.

            The TV monitor can reveal the speed of each pitch in mph.  When the bat meets the ball, you get an instant analysis of the speed with which the batted ball left the bat.  If it goes in the air the trajectory is recorded.  And when it clears the fence for a home run, they measure how far the ball traveled before it landed.  All that plus a lot of other statistics continue to amaze me.

            Now back to my situation.  I watched as the pitcher threw a 94-mph pitch to the batter who did not swing at it.  Nothing unusual about that.  Then the next pitch came in at 94-mph.  Then another 94-mph-er. I thought to myself: "If he keeps throwing at the same speed every pitch he is going to be in trouble.  Even at 94-mph these batters will eventually time their swing."

            Sure enough.  Next pitch came in at 94 miles per hour.  But this time it came off the bat at 107-mph and landed in the grandstand some 400 feet away.  Told ya!  That pitcher did not keep the hitter off balance by mixing in a slower pitch (more breaking pitches with his fast ball so the batter was able to time it).  Simply put---he didn't mix it up.

            Think about your day in particular, or your week or any time frame that you want to focus on.  Are you doing the exact same things most of the time?  If so, how is that working for you?  Maybe as a whole you think "Good.  I like the way my life is going."  And I am not going to dispute that or say that it's a bad thing.  In fact, you are to be congratulated.

            But think about it.  Is there something you might do to mix it up a little that would make things even better?  Change that fast ball to a slower pitch if just for an hour or a whole day.

            Maybe the change you make will leave all the good things in place but by mixing it up might make them better. I have no idea what those things would be and would not begin to make any recommendations.  Just trying to stimulate your thinking,

            As you ponder this idea let me throw in this little revelation from mega-successful, pastor and author Mark Batterson.  In "Win the Day" he writes: "It is the story of my life.  Even at five, I felt tremendous internal tension at the thought of letting others down.  If there is a twelve-step program for people pleasers, sign me up.  I recently shared that subplot with my counselor, including this confession: 'I don't want to disappoint anyone ever.  My counselor said, That's an awfully big burden to bear.'   Yes, it is.  Then he added: 'You know, Mark, Jesus disappointed just about everyone.'

            "Ouch.  Trying to please everyone all the time is not the Jesus way.  Quite the opposite.  If you follow Jesus, you will offend more than a few pharisees along the way. "

            Sometimes you may be so concerned about pleasing or helping others it may be to your own personal detriment or well-being.  It may even affect others that you care about.  By the same token there is the other extreme about doing too little in a helping way that can also affect the big picture. 

            In other words, mixing it up and finding the happy medium is best.

            In closing let me share this, also from Mark Batterson.  He writes:

            "I have a hypothesis.  I know, not nearly as notable as Dr. King's, 'I Have a Dream.'

All right, my hypothesis doubles as my dream:  'Almost anybody can accomplish almost anything if they work at it long enough, hard enough and smart enough'.

            You are capable of more than you imagine, and I wrote this book to help you prove it to yourself.  Your brain has no idea what your body is capable of, and your body has no idea what your brain is capable of.  Once you connect those dots, all bets are off."

            As Jesus said: "With God all things are possible."  Trust him.  Think about it.Is He saying, "stand pat?"  Or is He telling you to "mix it up" and add, alter or subtract some things in your life.

            While you are thinking and praying about all of this remember that a 94-mph fastball can be a good thing as long it is not overused.  It can be complimented and be more successful by mixing it up.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for calling our attention to the benefits of mixing up our thoughts and actions on occasion to stay fresh in our Kingdom work.  Amen!