WHEN THE CURVES OF LIFE BUCKLE YOUR KNEES

WHEN THE CURVES OF LIFE BUCKLE YOUR KNEES

The summer after high school graduation I played on the local American LegionBaseball Team. It was a team composed of the best high school players in thearea. I was thrilled to make the team, and I gained a starting spot playingcenterfield for the team. I had one of the most outstanding seasons of my life.But interestingly enough, the most vivid memory I have of that season is notvery pleasant. We entered the last game of the season fighting for a playoffspot. We needed to win the final game in order to have a chance at postseasonplay. It ended up being not only my worst performance of the year, but of alifetime. I have been playing baseball (or softball as an adult) since I couldwalk. Throughout my life I always prided myself in being a “contact” hitter whoseldom struck out. In fact, I don’t know if I have ever struck out twice in anysingle game of my life. That memorable day I faced a hard-throwing right-handerwho ended up shutting down the entire team. We lost that game, and it ended ourseason. But what I remember most was my third at bat that day. Unbelievably, Ihad already struck out the first two times up. When I came up to the plate formy third at-bat, I told myself that no matter what, I wasn’t going to strikeout for a third time. I had never done so in my life, and I had no intention ofit happening that day.  I mean, who strikes out three times in a game! Asa right-handed hitter, I stepped into the box, and I quickly found myself withtwo strikes. The next pitch came straight at my head. My knees buckled, and Istarted to bail out of the batter’s box when I recognized the spin of the ball,which quickly dropped over the plate. Too late! I heard the umpire call strikethree, and I looked back at him unapprovingly. As I started out of the box, Iglanced at the catcher who had a smirk on his face. I’ll never forget thatsmirk, and I will never forget what he said. “It’s called a curve”, he quipped.Boy, that stung! I’ve wanted to wipe that smirk off that catcher’s face all mylife. Well, throughout my life, I have had plenty of “curves” come myway! Sometimes I have been caught off guard and the “curve” has left mereeling! But I know that with the help of the Lord, “all things are possible tohim that believeth”. (Mark 9:23) I struck out three times that day long ago.  It wasn’tbecause I had never seen a curve. I had seen plenty of them before that day.But I had never seen one quite like the one thrown at me that day.  Whenin the batter’s box of life, we know that a “curve” is going to be thrown atus. And even if we have stayed in the box against them before, sooner or laterone will come at us that will buckle our legs. It will be a “curve” we havenever seen! Maybe it’s the unexpected death of a loved one, or a major healthissue.  I have discovered that aging itself is constantly throwing curvesI’ve never seen before!  But we don’t need to strike out! With the help ofthe Lord, we can gain the confidence and strength to hold our feet steady inthe box and not bail out.  However, we need to be ready! Count on the“curve”! It’s coming! It’s thrown…at everyone! I mean “everyone”! It’s all partof the game.

MY LIFE DIDN'T TURN OUT THE WAY I EXPECTED!

“My lifedidn’t turn out the way I expected”- (Roy Hobbs from the movie: The Natural). All of us have things that come into our lives that we neverexpected. If they haven’t already visited us, they will in time. I remembergoing to the movie theater in 1984 to watch the move“The Natural”. You know the storyline! A young man with great natural talentgets sidetracked from his goal of becoming the greatest baseball player ever.Early in the movie, this young prodigy says: “You know what? Someday…l’ll break every record in the book. Iknow I got it in me. When I walk down the street, people will say, “There goesRoy Hobbs…the best there ever was.” Many of us get “sidetracked” along the path of life.Trials and life changing events happen. Some wonderful, some tragic! Whenfinally Roy Hobbs makes it to the majors, decades after a tragic event altershis plans... Roy Hobbs doesn’t let his age deter him, he continues followinghis dream, and although he will never be…”the best there ever was”, he gainsthe respect of all who know him by his persistence and courage. I have met a few “Roy Hobbs” over the years. Men and women Iknow who have been sidetracked from their dreams.  Some have come fromhomes that can only be described as “hell houses”, where abuse and abandonmentare commonplace.  Some have had marriages fall apart or have experiencedthe untimely death of a child or spouse. Their dreams have been shattered!Sometimes I wonder how they have gone on with life. But they have.  Stillothers have brought upon themselves pain and sorrow due to the consequences of livinga sinful life.  “My life didn’t turn out the way I expected” is notjust a line uttered by a character on-screen, it is a common refrain that mostof us say at one time or another in our lives. At times, finding joy can be aselusive as eating Jell-O with chopsticks! It’s there on the plate for thetaking, but not easily consumed.  But I find comfort in the words of theLord recorded in the scriptures: “And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure infaith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shallthey partake of all this glory. Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for inthis world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full. Therefore, carenot for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and forthe life of the soul. And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience yemay possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.” Occasionally, I think all of us want to say, “Well that’s greatthat our joy will be full in the next life but I’m not living thatlife right now. I’m living this one and I don’t like it one bit!” When we findourselves feeling sorry and saying these types of things, it’s usually “thenatural” man poking his head out of our spiritual souls.  TheLord does tells us that in this life our joy will not be full, but we canstill find great joy in the challenges presented to us while on thisearth. The older I get, the more I see the great growth in my own lifethat has come through my trials.  There is something aboutovercoming adversity that builds godly characteristics. When you falldown, and then get back up, you become stronger. Your self-respect grows andyour appreciation for the small blessings of life increase. Like Roy Hobbs, some of our dreams may never come to fruitiondue to circumstances beyond our control. But we do control how we react totrials.  I think the promises of the Lord that “ye shall have eternallife” is worth fighting for! We need not go out quietly! Let us allow the Lord to be the“wind beneath our wings.”  When adversity knocks us down, let us lookto the Lord for strength so that we may get up again. While our mortal dreamscan often be taken from us, our eternal ones are completely in our controlbecause, with the help of the Lord’s mercy, we can get back up and claim them.

BONE OF MY BONES

A number of years ago my wife and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary on the sameday that a famous political couple announced their separation after forty yearsof marriage. I recall thinking that even after many decades of marriage, youneed to nourish your relationship continually!  Even this past month I know of three couples who have been married for many years, who have decidedto call it quits.  For that reason, I have found that continuing to flame the embers of a marriage is critical.  On our 32nd anniversary (we have now been married for over forty-six years), we went away for two days. We had ablast! I recall when we checked out of our hotel, my wife looked at me and said she had a great time just being together for a couple of days. What wasinteresting was what she said to me next.  “We really didn’t do anything, not even shop that much. Yet I had so much fun!” It was true, we had spent most of the time driving around Pennsylvania looking for a hotel. They were allbooked within an hour of where we were planning on staying. I learned that a short getaway with my wife should first include a hotel reservation. Although I must say that part of the weekend fun was just looking for a place to stay.Because I found out that just driving around with the girl you love can have greater rewards than an expensive dinner, movie or other fancy plans. Sometimes the gift of spending time together can bring forth greater fruits than anythingelse. Together, we have tried to follow the admonition of Paul, “Wehope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure allthings” (2 Corinthians 1) When you spend a lifetime with someone, you either endup like this political couple,  growing apart and divorcing, or you draw closer with the trials.  To have a successful marriage, you shouldlearn not to blame; it does no good. You should learn to forgive, because you need forgiveness. You should learn to focus on the good in your mate, because there is plenty there; and also to turn a blind eye to their faults because youhave them too!  Sadly, so many marriages are shattered because ofselfishness. All I can say, is thank goodness my wife has nevergiven up on me even though I have been guilty at times of having the TV up too loud, the house at 68 degrees, or calling her name too much. I have been foundlacking in the wardrobe department,  or not understanding all her moods. Yet, it has been a great partnership and will continue to be so; so long as we both keep our sights fixed on the larger goal of wanting an eternal marriage and a forever family! The other day as we are driving along and discussing our lives,she spontaneously reached across and laid her hand on top of mine.  As Iglanced down, for a moment, it seemed as though her hand melted into mine. Shehas truly become “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.”  (Genesis2:23)

HOPE WITHOUT ACTION IS A RECIPE FOR FAILURE

To hope for something while not moving towards it is to aspire to failure. Most of us have hope for many good things in this life and for the eternities.  But hope alone will not make these things come to pass. I believe that is why ourhopes are so often dashed. We must move towards it, make it a reality, and not be passive.  Who among us believes that the hope to become a concert pianist will become a reality if we don’t put in the time to practice to become one? Can we realistically become a professional at anything by hoping thatsomehow it will just happen! If I had just “hoped” to marry my wife without ever asking her out, would that have become a reality? It is beautiful to hope, but our hope needs to compel us toaction! Hope without action is a recipe for failure! I once knew a man who hadgreat hopes for his life. But the thought of losing that hope, which he sodearly held onto, caused him not to pursue it, lest he lose it and despairreplace it.  But despair will often win when we passively wait for hope toarrive.   Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “…For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he thatploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should bepartaker of his hope.” Paul understood that to be partakers of hope, we must plow andthresh toward it. Let us have high hopes for our lives! But more importantly,let not the fear of losing it stop us from plowing and threshing toward it.Paul also taught that hope can be augmented through the power of the Holy Ghost(Romans 15:13). By relying on the Holy Ghost for strength, we can overcome thefear that sometimes paralyzes us from pursuing and capturing Hope. Let us actively pursue Hope so that our dreams of life and ofeternities will not just be a ‘Hope’ but a reality.

WHEN RAINBOWS DISAPPEAR INTO DARK CLOUDS

“Somewhereover the rainbow, skies are blue”, so sang Judy Garland. I thought of thatquote just the other day as my wife and I were driving around town and wespotted a giant rainbow in the sky.,,But I notedsomething else about that rainbow. It disappeared into dark clouds. Hence, mythoughts of Judy Garland’s famous song, “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” So whathappens when our rainbows disappear into clouds, making it impossible to see“blue skies”? How do we keep the vision of the “blue skies” promised on theother side of the rainbow in our hearts? My wife and I have noted...when we pull into a fast food place where large groups of teenagers hang out,how they seem to be laughing and smiling all the time. They seem to have nocares in the world, and most often they don’t. I recall once when I was asenior in high school one of my relatives said to me, “Enjoy life now, becauseit goes straight downhill from here.” I remember thinking, “Really! What apessimist!” I couldn’t imagine anything but “blue skies” ahead for my life.Last year I met with an old high school friend. He seemed happy but had gonethrough a messy divorce, had a brush with cancer leaving him with somepermanent symptoms, and lost both of his parents to age. As we sat and talked,my mind wandered back to our youth when he and I often double dated; he with mysister, and me with another girl. My sister suddenly lost her husband a fewyears ago at a relatively young age, while the girl I went out with has beenstricken with a debilitating life long disease. I too have had my fair share ofbumps and bruises along the way. The rainbow of our youth has seemed to have“disappeared into the clouds”. And frankly, if you don’t believe there are“blue skies” on the other side of the rainbow, it could be pretty depressing!But I believe in the promises of the Lord recorded in the scriptures.Referencing the rainbow, God said: “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me andyou… for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall befor a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass,when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud…and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant betweenGod and every living creature… And God said… This is the token of the covenant,which I have established between me and all flesh…” Our Heavenly Father loves each one of us. He has set the “bow”in the sky as a reminder to us that he will not forget us, even if we forgetHim. He has made an “everlasting” covenant with us that there are “blue skies”on the other side of the clouds. Life can be challenging and discouraging attimes but only if our vision stops at the intersection of the bow and thecloud....We fall prey to the adversary and allow thoughts of hopelessnessand despair to enter our hearts and minds. I like to remember another “Blue Skies” song. Written by IrvingBerlin in 1926, it has been recorded and sung many times. I like the way WillieNelson sings it. I guess because Willie can’t sing it any better than I can.“Skies are gray”, the song begins, but then the singer changes his outlookbecause, “good-luck came a knocking” and then “blue skies shining on me,nothing but blue skies” is all he sees. Well, “good-luck came a knocking” for mankind through the birth,death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By having faith inHim who is the keeper of covenants, we can be assured that “blue skies” arewhat await the followers of Him who created us. I believe that when rainbowsdisappear into clouds, they do come out on the other side into blue skies. Ihold tight to the covenants that the Lord has made with his children. I havehope that all the promises will come to those who are the faithful followers ofthe Savior. A rainbow should remind us of that, each time it gracefully archesacross the skies.