I caught it!
Enjoying the warm summer evening, I stood in left field. My softball skills weren’t the best, and the coach had placed me where he thought I could do the least damage. But then… with a crack of the bat, the ball zoomed right at me. I held up my glove for self-preservation. With a whump, the ball landed safely in my mitt. I jumped for joy, hooting and hollering, celebrating with all my might. I caught it!
My teammates weren’t celebrating with me, instead they were yelling. Why? Wasn’t catching the ball a good thing? Wasn’t everyone supposed to be excited?
Why was the other team still running? They weren’t supposed to run. They were supposed to stop, because I caught the ball.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know I needed to get the ball back into the field of play until it was too late and the other team had scored. I’m embarrassed by my previous lack of ball skills, and I wish I could tell you I was just a child. The truth is, I was in my twenties playing with people from work. (my softball career ended quickly.). I know better now. I understand the rules. Catching the ball was only part of the process, throwing it back into play would have kept the other team from scoring. Releasing what I had in my hand would have doubled my joy (and definitely made my teammates happier).
When we receive Jesus as Lord of our lives, we are joyfully given His mercy, grace, and eternal life. And when we pass on what we have been freely given by Christ, our joy doubles — we celebrate, Heaven celebrates, and the body of Christ celebrates. As we share the good news, we also stop the enemy from advancing.
Have you been blessed to receive Jesus as your Savior? Please remember to share Jesus and let the joy parties begin!
“…there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” ~ Luke 15:10, Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)
From, We Were Meant for Paradise by Lisa Buffaloe, http://amzn.to/2FK7S5Q