I grew up on a baseball field. My Dad was a coach, and my sister Cameron and I were always watching his team. I remember Cameron always went more than me, because I didn’t understand the game at all. It always seemed so slow to me. They would do the same drills, practice the same things, and every game was exactly alike in my eyes. Despite this, I found myself reading by baseball fields for a majority of my childhood.
Looking back now, I laugh at how blind I was to the beauty that is the game. I love baseball. I love the anticipation that comes with every pitch, the quickness of a double play, and the catches that make gravity seem like a social construct. I love the slow movement on the innings, when they seem to never end. I love the play that comes out of nowhere, completely changing the outcome. The hotdogs, popcorn, peanuts, and lemonade hit different at a baseball stadium, let me tell ya.
Baseball is a lot like being a Christian. It can seem so slow. The victory can seem farther away than just 9 innings. When the foul balls fly unexpectedly into the stands, it can feel unexpectedly scary. Each base can seem like they’re miles apart, and impossible to get to before you’re called out. But that one line drive the flies past the pitcher and short stop makes up for all of it. The sound of the bat that signals a homer, or the feeling of the ball that should have never made it into your glove on a miraculous play. When “Sweet Caroline” blasts through the speakers and stands (sorry Yankees, you know I love you) and you see the crowd laughing and singing along. The moment when you’re running from third to home, and it feels like nothing in the entire world can stop you from scoring.
There have been seasons in my life that have seemed to go by slower than most. When the promises I heard from God weren’t happening, and nothing seemed to be going right. When everyone around me was getting grand slams, and I wasn’t even on the line up. Just like there are slow innings, there are also slow seasons. But a slow season does not equal an unfaithful God. How much sweeter is a win when anticipation can build? How much better is a game when it’s a close call? God is a master coach. He orchestrates the game in such a way that every promise fulfills itself in the right time. Every single, double, triple, home run, and grand slam happens exactly when it’s supposed to. He holds the game in His hands, and He doesn’t forget about His players.
So yeah. The baseball gospel is a favorite of mine. Learning to watch Abba work in my life the same way I watch a baseball game has radically changed the way I see Him. Not only does He hold the playbook, He wrote it. A field of dreams is waiting for you. Will you throw the first pitch?
