Smoke and Mirrors

“Keep your eye on the ball.” I don’t know how many times I heard that as a kid, but for some reason I just couldn’t get a hit. I played baseball up until about 5th grade, but I was terrible. I could play in the field o.k., but once I stepped up to the plate I just could never get a hit. That’s apparently a pretty vital part of playing baseball because I rarely got much playing time. Difficulty keeping my eye on the ball coupled with a fear of getting pummeled by said ball, rendered me completely ineffective with a bat in my hands. In short, I pretty much sucked at baseball. I finally gave it up to pursue other sports where I would perhaps find more success, where I also found the recurrent theme that was drilled in on the soccer field, golf course, football field, or tennis court…..”Keep your eye on the ball”.

Life has a way of bringing chaos and distraction, causing us to whiff in our crucial, defining moments. Whether for fear, bad habits, lack of intentionality, or a whole host of other possible reasons, we (or should I say “I”) will often take my eye off the proverbial ball. Another swing and a miss in life. We all want to hit the grand slam, to be the hero who comes through clutch when the game is on the line. More often, we’re either sitting on the bench or striking out. Perhaps we need to work harder, practice more, and discipline ourselves through rigorous effort. Or, maybe, and I think this is the case for many of us; we’re just swinging at the wrong balls.

Being the hero isn’t what I was created for. I was created to love God. I wasn’t born to be famous. I’m here to love my neighbor. These are the “balls” we should be swinging for. If we get distracted in the pursuit of anything else and miss these, we might as well be swinging at smoke and mirrors because even if you hit it, it will vanish before you know it. You can chase after money, fame, and sex, or the “good” distractions of faith, church, leadership, or religious piety, but without love it’s all for nothing. God says that without love, even these things are like a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal”. Basically, they are meaningless and kind of annoying.

Don’t get distracted. I’m speaking to myself perhaps more than to anyone else. I have difficulty staying focused in life. I can set my intentions for the day at 7:00 am, and by 8:00 all I can think about is a cup of coffee or checking the latest football news. At every turn, we are faced with distractions. Politics, wars, natural disasters, family disputes, global pandemics….you name it. It’s everywhere all the time. But our role in life isn’t to get sucked into the distraction. We can engage in politics, having good and meaningful discussions and debates, but keeping our eye on the ball to love FIRST. Yes, we should consider what to do about our nation’s immigration policies and look for solutions, while maintaining our primary focus to love God and neighbor. These things aren’t mutually exclusive. We don’t have to “check love at the door” in order to deal with the issues of the day. But rather, we deal with the issues with love as the driving force behind our positions and decisions.

It’s not easy. Nothing truly worthwhile is easy. But I do believe it’s why we’re here. All of us, regardless of your beliefs, nationality, gender, or any other factor, we are here to love one another. I want to strive to keep my eye on that ball better than I have. I want that to be where my focus and intention is set. If I can truly live my life loving God and genuinely loving every other human around me, that’s the grand slam I want to see in my life. The challenge to myself, and to you as well, is to pick up the bat, step to the plate, and start swinging for the fences.

Peace and Love to you.