Baseball is 90% mental, and the other half physical.” – Yogi Berra
“Stop and think.” – Jim’s guide to spiritual growth
OK, sure, Yogi’s math was a little off, but he expressed the important concept that baseball is a thinking man’s game. Every pitch requires each player on the field to instantly process and think through a myriad of choices. The pitcher and catcher must think about which pitch to throw. Then the hitter must determine the speed, location, and direction of a pitch, then decide whether to swing or not. (By the way, a hitter has 0.4583333 seconds before a 90 mph fastball reaches home plate!) As the pitcher delivers the pitch, each player reviews various assignments depending on if and where the batter hits the ball. That is why players and coaches devote a good part of practice to situational drills. Yes, baseball is a thinking man’s game.
So is our spiritual life. We cannot expect to grow or thrive in our spiritual development by accident. We grow by thinking about and pondering the right things. We call this discipline MEDITATION.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. – Joshua 1:8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. – Philippians 4:8
To meditate on something is to look deeply into its meaning and ponder its application. Quite simply, meditating is taking the time to stop and think about what God has said in His Word – what He has said specifically to you. In other words, stop and think.
Read it several times, each time emphasizing a different word to shine light from every angle and to observe the many reflections of God’s truth in the passage. After pondering the verse’s meaning, determine at least one specific way immediately to apply the verse to your life – your behavior, thoughts, or attitudes. Then to secure the truth indelibly in your mind, memorize the verse so that you can recall it at will and remind yourself of its truth on a regular basis.
With apologies to Yogi:
Spiritual growth is 90% mental, the other half behavioral.