"Have you seen enough?"

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The story is told about legendary baseball pitcher, Walter Johnson. He was a pitching phenomenon at the time, striking at batters at will.

A rookie faced Johnson for the very first time. Before he knew what happened, the rookie had two called strikes on him. He just shook his head and walked away.
The umpire took off his mask and called after the rookie, “Son, where are you going? That was just strike two.”

“You keep the third strike,” the rookie said. “I’ve seen enough.”

It happens, doesn’t it? You see enough at work and you just want to walk away. Or, you see enough at home and you just want to say, “You keep it.”

But there’s something to be said for staying in the batter’s box, even when you think you’ll strike out. When you walk away, you learn nothing except how to quit. When you hang in there, you learn something—about yourself, about the situation, and what it takes to succeed.  

God wants you to succeed today so stay in there and listen to life.

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"What’s your scar?"

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Some years ago, my left hand started swelling. Soon cellulitis set in and my thumb and index finger started convulsing. That got my attention so I went to the doctor.

Of course, we went through the typical round of questioning about my activities, and where I’d been recently and what I’d done and with whom. Then the doctor examined my hand in great detail with a magnifying glass. He zeroed in on one little area, saying to himself, “Hmmm…Do you remember being bit by a spider?”

“No,” I said.

“Well,” he said, “I believe you have. There are two bite marks on your hand that remind me of a brown recluse bite. They hide out in corners in your home, and you can’t see them unless you’re looking for them. They bite you and most often, you don’t even know it until you swell up like you have.”

Every time I look at the scar from that bite, I think about that experience when something hidden bit me.

Life’s like that you know. What you don’t see might bite you. So ask God to protect you as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Do you do it all, all the time?"

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My wife and I sat eating in a restaurant. She said, “This young mother in the next booth has been on her phone since she and her daughter sat down. Now they’re getting up to leave and the mother is still on the phone, ignoring the little girl. Is that multi-tasking?”

I thought about her question for days afterwards, noticing my own patterns. Things like being on the phone with someone and answering email at the same time, making sure I turn down the laptop’s speakers, and type softly. Or, asking my wife to join me in the family room for a ball game so we can be together, then not even looking at her while she’s talking to me and also I’m reading a magazine.

You know, a relationship isn’t just another task. Relationships require time, patience, and undivided attention between you and your child or spouse or friend…or God. Be still for a few minutes each day and pray with God, not just while you’re driving or showering. If you want to listen to life and make a life of relationships, be still with God and others.

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"What's true?"

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What with the popularity of American reality shows like Survivor and The Apprentice, I guess we’re all looking for what’s true today. Here are some statements that seem true to me as I listen to life:

Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death.

Some folks wear their halos much too tight.

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up.

Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous. The traffic from both ways will knock you down.

It isn't difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill, just add alittle dirt.

A successful marriage isn't finding the right person. It's being theright person.

The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.

To forgive is to set the prisoner free, and then discover theprisoner was you.

You'll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks outits neck.

Discover truth as you make a life.

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"When you pray, do you tell God what to do?"

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Dieting is so popular now and most of them rob us of the goodies we love so much, like doughnuts. I got an email from a person recently who is dieting and even asked God for help.

This person went so far as to change her route to work to avoid driving by her favorite bakery. “It's all about will power!” she decided. Well, she accidentally drove by the bakery one morning and there in the window were “hot and now” doughnuts. She felt that this was no accident, so she prayed, "God, it's up to you…if you want me to have any of those delicious goodies, create a parking place for me directly in front of the bakery."

And sure enough, God answered her prayer. On the eighth time she drove around the block, there was a parking place!

It’s so easy for you and me to pray and tell God what to do, as if we know more about what’s good for us than God! God loves us so much and really wants and knows what’s best for us. So when you pray, ask, don’t tell, God what to do as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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