Why I Quit Little League

Inside all of us lies the desire to finish our lives well. But I think that idea of finishing carries over to the ins and outs of everyday life as well. No one likes a tough break up, leaving a job on bad terms, or quitting something that was too hard, too soon.

As insignificant as it is today, I still hate the fact that I quit my little league baseball team almost 20 years ago!

This past Sunday was bittersweet because it was the last Sunday morning I got to sit and worship with the church I had the privilege to see off the ground. It’s been a whirlwind to say the least, but LifeCity and its people have been a part of my life for the last 3 ½ years. They have been my family away from family. And because of that, it has been a deep seated desire to leave them well as my wife and I start our new journey as missionaries to Asia.

As I sat there Sunday morning, worshiping my Heavenly Father on Father’s day, thinking about my parting words to my friends and family, I had no idea that the last sermon would instead, accidentally, be parting words for me.

Matthew 6:25-33 happen to be my life verses because they saved me. They brought me from a life full of anxiety and worry to a life full of joy, trust and dependence. To say the least, the truth that is held within them has meant everything to me. They also “happened” to be the verses for Sunday.

As Kim and I prepare to fly to the other side of the world, there have been mostly days of peace about our journey, but there also have been the rare days where anticipation has led to anxiety. And shamefully they have been mostly on my end. Where are we going to live? What are we going to do without a car? Are we going to have enough money? And even, what are we going to eat!? How easy it can be to not even live out the Scriptures you call your “favorite”!

The bottom line for the morning was simple yet so profound to my personal circumstance, but I would imagine it carries over to others as well.

“Let God handle what He can handle, and you handle what you can handle.”

The irony being, God has a handle on everything. He is sovereign. He is in control. And me, well yeah, I’m me… who can’t handle much. So why worry?

Profound. But a hard truth.

Living a life without worry/anxiety means living a life that actually believes in a God who is who He said He is, and believes He will do what He said He will do. It means taking the focus off of ourselves, and putting it on to Him. A worthy and sensible action to say the least.

When we worry, our focus is misdirected. And when our focus is misdirected, it always leads to moving off course… and sadly for some, not finishing well. For only those whose focus is upon Jesus, will finish the race that is set before us.

How funny. That a Father’s Day message would be such a fitting finale.

And that a blog about it would help me realize that if I only hadn’t been worried about getting hit by the ball, I might never have quit little league…almost 20 years ago.