June ushers in my favorite season of the year, Summer. I enjoy the warm weather and outdoor activities of Summer. But it’s my favorite season of the year because it’s baseball season. Man, I love baseball! There was a time in my life when I thought what I wanted to do with my life was to be a high school teacher and coach baseball. Yes, I love baseball!
I keep a baseball on my desk. I pick up the baseball, hold it my hand, and toss it around a lot just as part of my fidgetiness. But I primarily keep a baseball on my desk to remind me of the importance of God’s Word in my life. Let me explain.
A baseball weighs somewhere between 5 and 5 ¼ ounces and measures between 9 and 9 ¼ inches in circumference. It’s made up of three parts. A cork or rubber center surrounded by yards and yards and yards (and yards) of tightly wrapped yarn. The cover consists of two pieces of either cowhide or horsehide cut in an hourglass shape, turned at 90º angles to each other. The cover is wrapped around the cork and yarn and stitched together with 108 pairs of the characteristic red thread.
The Bible and a Baseball
The stitches remind me of the role the Bible plays in my life. Let me see if I can explain it this way. You see, I am basically three parts as well. At my core is the spiritual part of me, the part on the inside that relates to God in a very personal way. Then there is the mental part of me that perceives the world around me, gathers information, knows, sees, and understands things that direct my will. Then there is the physical part of me, my body – the part of me on the outside that you see. It is with the outer me that I can relate to you and the outer you.
So just like the baseball is 3 parts – core, yarn, and cover – I am three parts – spirit, mind, and body. Just like the stitches of the baseball hold it all together, the Word of God holds me together.
“I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
Psalm 119:11
Getting a Grip
The stitches of a baseball also provide grip. A good pitcher can make the ball go in a desire direction simply by the way he grips the stitches. A fielder gets a good grip on the stitches so he can throw the ball accurately to the intended target. The stitches provide the grip that enables the player to make an accurate throw. When I get a grip on the truth of God’s Word, my life hits God’s intended target.
“How can a young man keep His way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”
Psalm 119:9
The Strike Zone of Life
The final way the stitches remind me of God’s Word involves the aerodynamics of a baseball. As a baseball rotates, the stitches produce drag on the air around it. A skillful pitcher can make a ball rise, drop, or curve based on how they manipulate the rotation of the stitches. Just like the stitches of a baseball guide it through the air, so also God’s Word gives direction to my life.
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105
Like stitches to a baseball, God’s Word holds my life together. As you watch taseball games this summer, think about how God’s Word is like a baseball. Maybe you aren’t skilled enough to play ball with the big boys, but all of us can let the Bible have its effect in our lives.