Back in the day when my dad coached my little league team one of his favorite mantras was: be the ball. If you’ve played lots of ball, you’ve probably heard it. Translated: when you are batting be so focused on the ball that you almost become part of it and it becomes part of you. Great hitting requires great vision and focus. You must lock onto the ball and make it a part of you. Reminds me of our walk with God.
On numerous occasions in the New Testament, believers were commanded to “imitate” Jesus. (1 Thes. 1:6; 1 Cor. 11:1, etc.) Imitate means to “make a copy of” or to “reproduce closely.” In other words, become just like the Lord. “Be the Lord.” Okay, before you choke on your Wheaties, I know we cannot actually become the Lord but our lives should mimic His. The focus is to become like Him in every way possible. To hit a baseball you need vision and focus…to live the life of a follower of Christ, the same is true. Come on…be the ball Lord.
a husband, dad, and follower of Jesus who is passionate about teaching and leading well. i love the church, urban culture and espresso. downtown phoenix arizona is my ‘hood. 
Great illustration. I know I get caught up making sure I have the right uniform, bat, gloves and stance that I forget about focusing on the most important thing, the ball. It’s not about the bible study, way you talk, which friends are cool, who you know, where you went to school, etc. It’s just about Jesus and being more like he was.
so true! Thanks for the great reminder Shauna.
BTW, sorry your comment took a while to get approved. It was caught in a spam filter for some reason!