Hitting Curveballs

I’m a baseball fan.  I love to watch pitchers challenge hitters and vis versa.  As a hitter, one of the toughest pitches to hit is the sharp breaking ball that follows an overpowering fastball.  A nasty curveball has caused many an accomplished hitter to swing and miss, and look a bit foolish doing so.

Curve balls in life can have much the same effect.  They come unexpectedly, and can leave us feeling like a failure.  Yet, just as one strikeout doesn't define a hitter’s career, neither does a swing and miss in life.  For the hitter, there is another at bat coming; a chance to learn from his last one and experience success this time. He only fails if he decides not to step back in the batter's box.

For the Christ-follower there are more at bats coming too. We have the chance to move forward despite setbacks.  The grace of God is limitless and His ability to redeem the curve balls of life is astounding.  A friend shared the following little missive with me from Proverbs 31 Ministries and it encouraged me to keep swinging the bat.  I trust it will do the same for you this morning.

Breakups. Broken families. Disagreements. Death.

We walk through so many circumstances in life that leave us in shambles and our spirits crushed. Our disappointments and devastations in life can leave us feeling helpless.

But with Christ devastation is not the end of the story.

In Joel 2:26-26 God promises, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never be put to shame.

The chaos of this world does not have the final say. Our circumstances do not have the final say.  Our pain does not have the final say.

God has the final say.  And He promises restoration.

Our God will restore what has been lost in our life on earth. He will redeem our broken past and hurting relationships. With the death and resurrection of Christ, we are given restored freedom and communion with God.

May the light of this truth help you live with courage as you step into the batter’s box.

Live this week on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein