What really do I want the most? For my son to play college ball, get drafted, and have a chance in pro ball? Or, for him to be a man of God?
Those two aren’t mutually exclusive, obviously, but the former is a much more tangible goal than the latter. If I’m not careful, I’ll pour all my energy and time into helping my son reach his baseball goals and drift in the areas that matter most to God, the areas in which he will hold me directly accountable.
Maybe we think that if our sons play well it will make us happy, make us appear to be somebody in the eyes of those we so desperately want to impress.
But today, I’m challenged by Proverbs 27:11—“Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may reply to him who reproaches me.”
The dad speaking here has one thing in mind—to raise a son who is godly and wise. No doubt, this dad taught his son other things, but the one thing that would make this father happy is to see his son walking with God in wisdom.
A few things come to mind…
I can’t give what I don’t have. If I’m not walking with God, living with wisdom, I’m a fool to think I can pass those things along to my son.
The supreme source of wisdom is not hiding. It sits on the end table next to the chair in my living room…my Bible.
If I instill wisdom and a love for God in my son, our baseball experience will be fuller and richer, since it won’t be the only thing he MUST do to make me happy.
I can help my son reach every baseball goal he has, and if I do not teach him about the love and grace of Jesus, I have failed him as a father.
Lord Jesus, take over our baseball experience. Make me a dad who loves you and teaches my son to do the same. May that be my ultimate goal as we play this great game. Amen.
