Baseball Gloves

Many things in life come previously prepared making our challenge seem a little more possible. Our foods, if we want them, are freeze dried and ready in minutes. Communication from coast to coast is planned and laid out and at our fingertips. Most of us have the advantage of instant relief, instant gratification, instant coffee and instant answers. But somewhere, somehow, someone has made all this possible. Someone has previously prepared all of this to make our lives a little less hectic. But, we still have to put it into action. We have to plug it in, mix it up, receive it and respond to it.

Leather baseball gloves were no doubt a good investment when we were growing up because they would last for years and only get better with age. When first purchased, I can remember my brothers rubbing the middle with Vaseline to soften the leather, putting a baseball inside and wrapping the whole thing with rubber bands, putting them under their mattresses and then sleeping on the lumpy mass. They went to great lengths to get their gloves in just the right shape for the many games they played. As their hands grew, the gloves would be passed down to the next sibling and the process would begin again for the following season. Consequently, I always had a loose, soft leather glove with the finger hole beside the thumb matted down to just the right comfort. All the work had been done and the vessel was ready. The only challenge left for me was to follow the ball into the glove and hold on.

God sets the table before us. He sends His only Son to prepare the way for us but we still have to put forth effort. We still have to know Him and to obey His ways and to follow Him. The challenge is made possible because of the preparation but we still must actually open ourselves to His way and His truth and His life.

May we open our vessels, plug in, receive, respond, follow and hold on.