“My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.” (Proverbs 4:10 NLT)
Most days after coming home from work, a father went inside his house, called for his toddler-age son, and told him to get his little baseball glove and come outside. The father grabbed his own mitt, a thirty-year-old glove that he had played with in his youthful days, and one hardball. He told the son to stand in one spot on the front lawn and then he walked about five “daddy steps,” to his usual spot. Before throwing the ball to his son, he demonstrated how one should hold their glove open and close it when the ball was caught. Then he instructed the toddler how to throw it back with accuracy and how to follow through. Now it was time to play catch.
When I first saw the toddler trying to catch the ball, he would miss it badly. It was as if he was not paying attention when the instructions were initially given by his dad, or perhaps he just needed more practice. Eventually, many days from when I first observed this playing catch ritual, er I mean practice, the toddler caught some and missed some. After many days, the toddler never missed, even though the father was not making every throw easy to catch. I said to myself, “He’s got it! Look how well he is catching the ball.” The father’s patience paid off and the toddler’s paying attention contributed to what I would call growth as it relates to playing catch.
Let’s relate this story to something relevant to you and your growth. When you study a passage in the Bible, you may have to go over the content more than once to get it; get what it says, get what it means, and get what it means to you. And Sunday after Sunday, when you hear a sermon preached, you may have to go read the passage and review your sermon notes again, and perhaps again, until you get it; until you catch exactly what the Lord sent for your edification and enhanced discipleship. And listen to this! Like the father above taught his toddler son about follow through, you must work on your follow through week after week. What I mean by “follow through” is first, going through the week internalizing the preached word and letting it come out perfectly in your external behavior. Also, by “follow through,” I mean getting to the point where your skilled catching of the word, sets your soul on fire, and you have to share it with someone else.
Enjoy your Saturday! Go to church tomorrow and “play catch.” Work on your follow through too! Be blessed!
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22 KJV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King