I woke up from a dream this morning and all I could remember was someone telling me to “keep your eye on the ball!” I wish I could tell you that the way I heard this in my head was similar to the way a parent tells their first-year T-Ball player to keep their eye on the ball, sweetheart, darling, precious – or a pet name of their choosing. But, it rings a bit more in my head like the tone when you are in trouble and your mom or dad inserts your middle and last name – “Carolyn Joyce O’Toole Hunt – keep your eye on the ball!”
If you know me at all, you realize that sports are not my thing. I have ZERO, zilch, nada, experience in keeping my eye on the ball. I can’t follow a golf ball, it gets lost in the sky every time. Even when a camera guy is right on deck I can barely manage to track a football and I know what direction is it supposed to be going. And just forget the thought of being able to focus on a baseball that might be coming in the vicinity of my head at 75+ miles an hour. Add to that scenario a catcher’s chatter yelling stuff about your Mama and/or telling you to “Swing -Batter Batter Batter – Swing” and it’s game over.
It’s no wonder I felt like I woke up from a nightmare rather than a dream. Totally confused as to why I’m dreaming sports stuff, I decided to ponder it a while. A memory popped up that is like a Kodak moment trapped in time. So here it is …
Over 30 years ago we had a church co-ed baseball team, with matching T-shirts and everything! I was picked to be on the team! Well to be honest… due to a lack of girls that wanted to play and the fact that I am the pastor’s wife – they let me on the team. It was decided that I would be of the least amount of harm and the most out of the way in the right field. Chances were great that a ball would never come my way. David taught me to wear the ball glove on my left hand, which seems counterintuitive since I’m severely right handed, but I guess it makes sense to not have to switch hands to throw a ball. Big assumption is that I would ever be close to the ball.
There happened to be a kid on the other team one night that was playing for his college on scholarship and we all knew he was quite the thing. So, I got some extra instruction that night, just in case the ball came close to me. I was shown that if the ball comes, put the glove high and place your right hand behind the glove so the you can stabilize the force and have less risk of it hitting you in the face. Thanks! Got it!
To no one’s surprise “The Kid” smacked the ball hard. To everyone’s surprise, the ball was headed right to me. Training took over, I lifted my gloved hand, placed the other hand behind the glove and raised them both as high as I could. Then… closed my eyes. I was the one MOST surprised when the ball landed in my glove and I clamped down on it for an out! I was the hero that night for a nanosecond until I confessed that my eyes were closed – then everyone knew it was either a divinely orchestrated event or just dumb luck!
After pondering and strolling down memory lane, it’s time to pray! Could Holy Spirit be trying to get my attention? Is there a lesson to learn? Of course… always!
- Keep Your Eyes Open
- Fix Your Gaze
- Capture Your Thoughts
- Remove Distractions
- Expect the Impossible
The last couple of days internal distractions have been similar to a catcher’s chatter. My brain tries to focus on what is important, but at the same time the volume of my thought life is deafening, drowning out what I know is True.
After some quiet time this morning my heart gently heard sweet instructions from the One that loves me deeply.
- “Keep your eye on the ball, Carolyn (looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith Heb 12:2).
- Let Me help you capture those thought gremlins (2 Cor 10:5 & Phil 4:8)
- Tune your heart to hear the Voice of wisdom and direction (Is 30:21) that is what will make your path straight and established.
- Recognize and filter out the noise of the wind, earthquake, and/or fire to discern a quiet whisper (1 Kgs 19:11-13)
- Receive the Peace I have for you, Child. (John 14:27)
With renewed focus and my eye on the prize I will pray these scriptures:
Ps 121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come? My help cometh from Jehovah, Who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keeps thee will not slumber. Jehovah is thy keeper, He is thy shade upon thy right hand. H will keep thee from all evil and will keep thy soul. Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and forever more.
Phil 3:13-14 I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Phil 2:16-17 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
1 Cor 2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified
I hope you never have a struggle with deafening volume of negative thoughts and that your filter is always engaged. I hope you can always keep your heart, soul and mind focused on Jesus and never lose sight of the prize.
If you would like to watch the video, please follow this link: https://youtu.be/JcG_BbJqiwQ
My Paisley Chair 
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