Is it baseball season yet?

My entire life, I really only played one sport and that was baseball. I loved it when I was a child and I still do to this day. I played my entire life and through high school. I was pretty good, but nothing too fantastic. I just really loved the game. There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh cut grass in the afternoon. The feeling of stepping into the batter's box and looking right into the eyes of a pitcher throwing a nasty slider. It is awesome!

As I have gotten older, my days of playing baseball are resigned to suiting up once a year at my high school alumni game. Every year it feels as if the pitcher has gotten closer to me when I hit and the bases have gotten further away when it is time to run. I am also reminded of my age by the amount of ibuprofen I take the following day so I can relieve the soreness in every single joint and muscle.

There are times during the Lenten season when it reminds me of my baseball days. No matter how much I focus, I can't seem to hit the pitch and no matter how fast I run, I never seem to beat the throw to the bag. My prayer life feels "off" and I need to get refocused.  

Maybe I am oversimplifying this, but the more we focus, the more we see. Meaning, the more we  make an effort in our prayer lives, the clearer things become in our relationship with God. It is true, there are always times in life when we swing and miss, but even in baseball, an all star, heck a HALL OF FAMER fails about 70% of the time at the plate but a good hitter ALWAYS gets back to the plate!

People often ask me how I focus. For me it is through my song. It is through picking up my guitar and praying. That is my new baseball field. That is my batter's box where I get to take a swing at a pitch and hopefully make good contact with the ball.

We may strike out but we get another chance. We step back into the batter's box for another swing, another chance to succeed. Focused on God, you will not fail because God never fails. Ever. You will knock it out of the park.

How focused are you this Lent?

What are you doing to get "refocused"?

Are you slowing down to prepare for  the Easter celebration?

Lord God, make me smaller so I may never think I am bigger than You.

Lord God, make me slower so I may never think I can outrun your great love.

Lord God, make me weaker so in my weakness, You may dwell in me!