Hello Everyone!!!
I sure hope you guys are having a wonderful week. I don’t know about you guys, but I am loving the weather, despite my allergies! My family loves being outside and running around. So, when my son Will decided to play ball, we couldn’t wait. There is nothing better than being at the ballgame on a sunny afternoon. I have always loved baseball, but Saturdays at the ballpark have taking on a new meaning. I am no longer “the girlfriend” or the “big sister”. I am have proudly been promoted to “Will’s Momma” !! We started out the year with the attitude of “just wanting the kids to have fun.” Well, that quickly faded after the first practice! I now have to catch myself from screaming out instructions throughout the entire ballgame. Which reminds me of my precious parents! Right before my brother would start the wind up they would always holler out some kind of instructions for him to be successful on delivering the perfect pitch! Of course, I always turned to Andy for an explanation. Most of the time it was always about the finish, you know, the “follow-through”. Oh, hmm, follow-through!
Well, for those of you who don’t know I am proud to have three amazing baseball players in my family. Will, by far the best, is just whacking the ball! But, the other two have also been very exciting to watch. (I say this with great understatement) There was nothing more exciting than hearing the crack of Andy’s bat as he smashed the ball out of sight. Usually after three fouled balls on a full count! Very Intense! And man could he throw a strike! Caleb, tall and towering on the mound, could make the hairs on my arm stand straight up. So, over the years I guess I could say I have learned a little about baseball! But probably, one of the most important was the follow-through. Andy explained it to me like this: The follow-through is the last step of a pitch, if you do not complete the follow-through it affects the way you throw the ball, which is the delivery. Without a complete follow-through you throw a bad pitch.
What ever happened to the commitment we made 1, 3, 10 or 20 years ago, at the time of our first love for God? Anybody who is called can be on fire for the truth, but without the vital follow-through, the initial excitement of first love can and does fizzle fast. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” While the initial stages are important, God is much more interested in the results.
In the Bible, God makes it very clear of what He thinks of His people who make commitments but fail to keep their word.
If we allow God to continue working with us, He will lead us to the ultimate follow-through.
6″being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
I think this is a great verse, very hopeful! I hope it will help you this week and encourage you to FOLLOW-THROUGH !!!!!!!
God Bless,
Natalie
