What makes a player truly a “ballplayer?” There’s a difference, you know, between someone who plays ball and someone who is a ballplayer. Those who haven’t played may not notice it, but there is a difference.
Someone who plays ball may have talent, but it’s just a game to him. He doesn’t live it. He doesn’t truly understand the nuances and subtleties of the game. He has no feel for it.
A ballplayer, on the other hand, bleeds the game. It’s part of him. The little things are little things. They are vital things. He is, and always will be, a ballplayer at heart. He’s annoyed when the field is disrespected, when players don’t hustle, when defenders take a play off, when a hitter wastes an at-bat.
There’s also a difference between someone who plays at life with God and someone who lives life with God.
Proverbs 9:5–“Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed.” That’s wisdom talking. Ultimately, it’s God talking.
He’s invited us to do more than play at life with him. Instead, He’s invited us to be “ballplayers” with Him. He wants to show us the subtleties of life with Him, to expose us to much more than what we can see, to lead us to a deeper faith in Him and love for Him. He wants to show us that things like godly wisdom are more filling than even our favorite meal.
The invitation is to come to the Lord and receive true life, to really be a “ballplayer.” What your heart is searching for, God provides. He sent Jesus to demonstrate the full kind of life possible for believers, to display God’s love for us on the cross, and to show the kind of life-changing power he has through the Resurrection.
There’s more to life than just playing at it. I’m praying you respond to God’s invitation for more.
Here’s a prayer:
Heavenly Father, I’ve just been playing games with you. I confess it. I want to truly know you, to experience the full life you have prepared for me. I want to love you more, to have my faith increased. Make me a “ballplayer.” Amen.
