Pick...Up...The...Bat...

Defense wins championships.  It's true.

But offense isn't just an option.  It's a necessity.

I spend my days playing defense.  All day, everyday.

I stand in the outfield -- grounding balls, catching pop-flies, throwing out runners, etc.  And I can play defense well.

The moment, however, that I'm asked to pick up the bat and take a swing...I become paralyzed.  My eyes drift from the game to the bleachers -- to the massive crowd that surrounds.  I become overwhelmed and, in defeat, surrender my at-bat.

I'm resolving myself to fight.  To fight to pick up the bat.  To fight to keep my eyes on the game, not on the bleachers.  To fight to take a swing.  To fight to be okay with mere grounders, with foul balls, with pop-flies.

I want to be so distracted with the choir of angels who cheer me on.  I want to be so lost in the love and glory of my Savior.  I want to be so focused on the One who calls me to bat that I pay no attention to the surrounding crowd.

I am going to pick up the bat.
And it won't be a grand slam.
And that's okay.

I need cheerleaders.  I need people who will root me on.  I need friends who will beckon me up to home-plate.  I need cheerleaders who hoot and holler ridiculously for a pathetic grounder.

I will pick...up...the...bat...