Last week’s Bottom Line Question / Challenge: what can you do today to reach toward where you want to be tomorrow? I have spent a couple weeks with encouragement to get after it… to “lace ‘em up” and get in the game… And last week I pulled out a baseball analogy of keeping one’s eye on the ball in order to make contact… this analogy assumes one thing, that you are actually swinging the bat!
I can remember as far back as little league baseball and how frowned upon it was, (and I put that lightly, as my head coach was my dad and he didn’t frown… he scowled), if we got caught looking at a 3rd strike! The common sentiment was if a pitch is anywhere close to the strike zone when you have 2 strikes, you’d better be swinging. I can remember hearing often as a coach would “encourage” to “get the bat off your shoulder!”
In my basketball world I ran into the same thing, where at times a player wasn’t willing to pull the trigger and take an open shot, even though the player knew it was the right shot and what we were working for. (Note: I for sure am not talking about me as a player… I never found a shot I didn’t want to take… and any of my former teammates reading this are shouting “AMEN!”)
The reason a player watches a 3rd strike or fails to take an open shot often comes down to a horrible mentality to live by… what-if-I-miss-it is! Well let’s analyze that sentiment… if I swing and miss the result is a strike… I stand with the bat on my shoulder the result is a called strike! If I fail to take the open shot, I score zero points for the team… if I don’t take the shot, I score zero points for the team!
If I swing or take the shot, I at least give myself a chance to make contact or to score…
The Scriptures are full of God’s direction… clearly laying out the desired mission… and most sit around with “what-if-I-miss-it is” --- listen what the Scriptures say:
“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17
“But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22
I made a “joke” about never seeing a shot I didn’t like (and to be honest I seldom struck out looking… I also like swinging the bat)… but there is always a little truth in jest; I’m sure some folks thought I was a ball hog… well that may be true, but I also scored a lot of points!!! And even as a coach I maintained my philosophy that shooters shoot!
This week’s Game Plan Bottom Line: Get the bat of your
shoulder and SWING! Pull the trigger and SHOOT!
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