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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Dropout (05/12/11)
When our son Jeremy was about seven years old, he joined a t-ball team for the first time. He donned his blue Yankees jersey and hat with pride. We went to all of his games, cheering him on with each new skill he learned. He even turned out to be a switch hitter—a huge shock for his rather nonathletic parents!

Everything was going fine until the second half of the season. I was standing behind the dugout, waiting for the inning change, when Jeremy ambled over to me and hit me with a fast ball of his own.

“Mom, I think I’m gonna retire.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll retire.” Where a seven-year-old got such nonchalance was beyond me. What, did he think he was just going to walk off the diamond and start endorsing cereal and sneakers?

Visions of Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own shouting “There’s no crying in baseball!” danced in my head. There weren’t any sobbing women here, but the sentiment fit, nonetheless.

“You can’t! There’s no retiring in t-ball!” I blurted.

I must have donned that ‘don’t mess with Mama’ look, because somehow, he ended up back on the field. I still don’t know whether his sudden desire to drop out was related to boredom, fatigue, or something else entirely, but it didn’t win out that day.

I guess I know how he felt. More days than not, I wake up in the morning with less than a full night’s sleep, a house that looks like it has been in a war zone, and a to-do list that reaches around the block—twice. Those are the days I want to say, “God, I’m done. There’s too much! I’m going back to bed!”

God doesn’t raise quitters.

We are never given a guarantee that we will enjoy what we are doing, or even feel we are suited to do whatever it is we are called to do. There will be days when we want to tell God, “I’m gonna retire!” It is then we need to remember the big picture. What we are guaranteed is God’s willingness to equip us for that to which He has called us. He gives us everything we need to finish the game.

In Acts 20:24, Luke wrote, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”*

We can’t retire now. There’s still time left on the clock. Let’s play ball!

*Scripture from the New Living Translation
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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This article has been read 1031 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Fiona Stevenson
05/20/11
A timely homily, well written. But believe me, it can be even more difficult to accept retirement when the time really comes! God bless you as you continue to accept the challenges of life.
Donna Haug
05/20/11
That's a good analogy. There are times when retiring sounds awfully good. It can be tough to keep on keeping on. Thanks for the encouragement.
Janice Fitzpatrick
05/20/11
I can almost visualize Jeremy in his Jersey and hat stooped over the ball holder, swinging excitedly. I remember those days when my own sons use to play T-Ball. One thing we encouraged was to keep at it and when the season was over then they could be done. Good for mom saying-"They's no retiring in T Ball." Too bad our society thinks otherwise too often.Good comparison to life and how the Lord expects us to stay in the game. Indeed,"Let's play ball."
Linda Goergen
05/21/11
Great analogy between your son’s “retiring” from T-Ball and the responsibilities God gives us in life! This short story is a homerun with it’s powerful message! Enjoyed!
Joe Moreland
05/22/11
This article reminds me of the song "Homerun" by Geoff Moore and the Distance. You do a great job of connecting the dots between your story and the life lesson and it's very well written. Thanks for sharing it.
Leola Ogle
05/22/11
Great use of this week's topic. Great story with wonderful spiritual truth applied. God bless!
Terry Lee
05/23/11
Interesting concept. I wonder, if while we dramatize our woes, whether they be great or small in our minds, I wonder if God looks at us with that, "There's no crying in baseball look." For, with our small minds we cannot begin to conceive the whole picture.
Sarah Heywood
05/26/11
Excellent job, Kristi - congrats on your great placing! I loved this so much!
Terry Lee
05/26/11
Congratulations on your placing!
Danielle King 
05/26/11
Congratulations on placing 3rd with your well written reminder!
Jan Ackerson
11/29/11
Kristi, I'm going to feature this wonderful object lesson as the Front Page Showcase article for the week of Dec. 5. Look for it on the FaithWriters home page--and congratulations!