A Full Count!

Now that we’re in the midst of baseball’s post-season, and especially because the Yankees are still in it (currently playing for the American League title), I’m watching a lot more baseball than I usually do during the rest of the season. Although baseball is not the fastest moving game, it is a game that is filled with lots of tension and drama. And there is no more tension and drama as when there is a “full count.” When the pitch count reaches three balls and two strikes, the very next pitch is going to end that particular at-bat by means of either a strikeout, a walk, or a hit of some kind. (Actually there may be another foul ball which would count as nothing.) When the pitch count reaches a ”full count,” the next pitch will mean either success for the pitcher or success for the batter. It's no wonder the fans are on their feet cheering. It’s a pressure-cooker moment, especially for the pitcher, for it is up to him to make sure he throws just the right pitch. If he does, he succeeds. If not, well….the batter succeeds.

Have you ever felt like you’re on the pitcher’s mound and you’ve reached a “full count”; that your very next move was going to make you or break you?  We all face those critical moments in life that are filled with mounting tension and even a bit of anxiety. We wonder whether or not we will make the right decision and thus move in the right direction.  We’re concerned that we just might misstep—throw the wrong pitch!—and end up losing not just the “at-bat” but the game itself. We’ve all been there; I know I have.

I’ve learned, it is in those “full count” moments of life when I really need to lean into my faith in God and my relationship with him. It’s in those pressure-cooker moments that I especially need to trust that God will be faithful to lead and guide me, give me wisdom, and show me grace.  It’s in those “full count” moments of life that I need to believe that God is at work in my life to bring about his good plans and purposes—and that, even if I do mess up in some way, he will be there to correct my course and put me back on the path I ought to take. 

The psalmist wrote, “The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24 – NIV) 

If today you feel as if you’re facing a “full count” moment, don’t allow the tension, drama, and anxiety of the moment to overtake you. Rather, put your trust in God as the One who is able to help you through this moment and give you the wisdom and grace you need to, we might say,  throw just the right pitch!  

Have a great day! And, please pray for the Yankees! 

- Pastor Tim Harris