Sunday, May 10, 2015

“We have been chosen”


As a young boy my favorite sport was baseball and my town’s baseball leagues were set up just like the professional.  We had Little League, for the boys to learn the game and practice their skills.  And we had Babe Ruth League—where the better, older players, went on to play at a higher level. The transition from one to the other took place through the draft—the selection process by which coaches picked the players for the upper division teams and Little League player graduated to the “Big Leagues.”

Draft day was important.  If you were drafted by a big league coach, it was confirmation that you had skills.  The Babe Ruth games were watched and followed by everyone in town.  The newspaper covered the games.  Box scores were published each evening. It was a big deal in a small town.  It preceded fame and glory. Next stop, High School baseball and just maybe a professional scout would see you and . . Well, you can see where this is going in the mind of an adolescent boy in small town Indiana.

But being chosen for a major league team in the Babe Ruth league meant that desire and rough skill were no longer enough to perform well for your team. As a pitcher, I knew that I needed to work hard in order to pitch against the bigger, older boys and be successful. Being drafted—my goal as a Little Leaguer—was just the start. You could not take anything for granted. In my first Major League game I threw my best stuff at an average opponent—and they hit my pitches all over the park.  My curve ball didn't curve enough, my fast ball was only average fast, and my slider hung and found the center of every bat that swung at it.  I was obviously poorly suited for this league.

My coach knew I was despondent and after my first game he told me, “You had a rough outing, but you have the talent to play on this team—you have the skill—just get serious and work to improve. Remember, in the draft, I chose you, now you need to get with the plan and choose me.”

On a much bigger and more important level, God chose you.  Now we need to step up our game and choose Him.

Peace,

Father Mark+

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