“Be quiet and know that I am God." ~ Psalm
46:10
It’d be an overstatement to say
that I played on the middle school baseball team. I was on the team. I practiced with the team. I wore the same uniform.
I took batting practice and chased fly balls in the outfield
before every game. Then I sat on the
bench and cheered for the guys who actually made a difference in the game’s
score.
It was a decent arrangement. I enjoyed the camaraderie, the workouts kept
me in shape, and I had a front-row seat for the games. But I didn't feel any of the pressure that
comes with knowing that the outcome of the game may rest on my bony shoulders.
‘Riding the pine’ must’ve been hard for my Dad. He’d been a gifted athlete, lettering in both
baseball and track in college. He was
fast and could hit like ‘the Babe.’
Still he never missed a game. After the final out, he’d smile, shake my
hand and tell me, "Good game!" even though I never actually did
anything to make the game good.
Until the last game of the season.
We jumped off to a 14-3 lead against our arch-rivals. Heading into the 7th inning, Coach
finally felt comfortable enough to look toward my end of the bench. "Walker!" he barked. "You're
in!"
I grabbed my bat and rosined its handle. As I stepped into the batter’s box with two
outs and runners on second and third, the guys on bench screamed "Grip it
and Rip it!"
I was late on the first pitch, hitting a line drive into
right field. Both teammates scored. As I stood proudly on first base, the crowd
roared as if I’d just won the game (even though it just meant that we won by 13
not 11).
I spotted Dad in the stands.
His smile, his presence, being there meant the world to me. For the next 35 years, through good times and
bad, Dad was always there to smile, to encourage, and to love me.
I think about Dad whenever I'm tempted to NOT be there for
my own children. I'm not as good at it
as Dad was. But I keep trying because I
know how much it can mean for a Dad to be there when you get that big hit.
Truly ‘being there’ entails far more than physical
presence. It requires a focused
engagement of every aspect of our being – physical, mental, and emotional. It means hitting the pause button and neglecting
other distractions that demand our attention.
We deceive ourselves into
thinking that our e-communications allow us to be omnipresent because we can
multitask. But no one can multitask and
be fully present at the same time! It’s
conceited to think otherwise and borders on idolatry.
Thank you Jesus, for Dads who love us, for
grandfathers who care, and for God, my eternal father, who made me and is
always there for me. How Blessed am
I. Amen
