Christian Batting Practice

Ping. Ping. Ping.

I hear the clean sound of an aluminum bat connecting with a baseball. I look out the window and see my young neighbor Elisha stepping up to the plate, preparing to hit another grand slam.

He is ready.

His batting helmet is secure. He takes his stance and waits for the ball. But here’s the amazing part—he’s only been playing baseball for less than a year… and he’s not quite three years old.

He waits patiently while his dad tees up another ball.

Ping!

Dad and Mom seem to play every position on the field—coach, manager, pitcher, outfielder, umpire, and encourager. They fill every role out of love for their son and for the glory of God.

But I find myself wondering something.

Why the helmet?

After all, the ball is coming off a tee. He’s not facing a 98-mile-per-hour fastball.

Not yet.

But he’s being prepared now for the day when he might.

He is learning to run the bases with his helmet on, slide to avoid the tag, and walk it off when he gets hurt.

And as I watch, I begin to see God’s hand in this little moment of batting practice.

Isn’t this how God lovingly trains us?

He makes sure we have the helmet of salvation firmly in place, along with the rest of the armor we need. When we are young believers, God often tees up the challenges and smiles as we knock them out of the park.

Then come the underhand softballs—small trials that help our spiritual eyes adjust to a world filled with deception.

As we mature, the pitches get harder.

Curveballs.
Fastballs.
Knuckleballs.

Each one testing our discernment—learning when to swing and when to let the pitch pass.

Yes, God sometimes uses baseball as a metaphor for His training.

And He also uses faithful parents like Elisha’s mom and dad to show the rest of us sitting in the bleachers what it looks like to prepare a child for God’s work—both on the field and off.

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“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)