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PROGRAM D-8093
I’m talking about curve balls—yes, I’m a baseball fan, big time—and this term does comes from baseball. The batter sees that ball coming one way when, at the last minute, it curves and goes another way, causing the batter to have difficulty hitting it. The baseball player who can discern a curve ball and adjust for it so he can hit it, is very valuable to his team. He turns a negative into a positive, so to speak. He is able to do that because he has learned to identify a curve ball quickly and adjust for it.
Life is kind of that way. Curve balls come unexpectedly and they can cause you to strike out. However, if you’re prepared for them, if you have learned to recognize them, and if you know how to handle them, they can become stepping stones of growth for your faith. The Bible says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, if you are a Christ-follower, you should desire to grow your faith in order to please God more. And how does your faith grow? Mostly through the curve balls of your life, as you are prepared to trust God.
A baseball player has to work hard to be prepared to hit curve balls—lots of practice and experience. How can you be prepared to handle the curve balls of your life? By having a firm knowledge of God’s truth, and determining in your heart that whatever happens, you have decided to follow Jesus—no turning back! Also, by doing your homework: reading the Bible daily; becoming a part of a small group Bible study; going to a church that teaches and preaches the Word of God faithfully; and having a support group which encourages you to trust God.
In 1994, a Christian family from Chicago was traveling to Wisconsin when a broken piece of metal hit their car and turned it into a burning incinerator, killing all six children in the van—a tragedy beyond belief! I remember Janet Willis, the mother, speaking at our church years later and explaining how they were able to survive this tragedy. She quoted scripture and told how God had used his Word time and again—daily—to help her and her husband live with the pain. That horrible curve ball in their life became an amazing testimony to the whole world of God’s grace.
The Willises were grounded in God’s truth, which gave them the ability to handle that horrible event. They were prepared in advance. Whether you’re experiencing a curve ball now or not, you should be doing the things that will see you through when that curve ball comes your way.