Bottom of the Ninth #18 - Focus
by Blake Johnson Infielder / Pitcher; Junior at Valor Christian High School
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2
Hitting. Where is your focus? It isn’t on the left fielder or the first baseman, it’s on the ball. If it isn’t, how can you hit? When I say focus, I’m not talking about your eyes and where you’re looking. I mean what everything revolves around at a certain moment. Your mind, your body, even your thoughts. Whatever you have, all you’ve got, where is that focused?
I’ve spent a lot of time injured in high school. I’ve had 3 surgeries and 2 have been pretty extensive. I dislocated and partially tore a tendon in my ankle and last summer I broke my wrist during a game playing 1st base. Since freshman year, I’ve missed a total of 10 months because of injury. Five of those were during a season. In all of those 10 months, not a day went by where I didn’t think, “Why do I have to be injured. I wish I could play baseball so badly.” But there was something in my heart (through all the injuries I’d been through) that just said “Blake, it will all make sense later. I promise.” These words hit me soon after I read Jeremiah 29:11. It says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” At that point, I had a sudden realization that I don’t actually hold my future. For example, after my ankle injury, I was coming on strong. I was swinging the bat well and playing 1st base like I never had. But then, it was as if God said, “Wait, I’m not done. Trust me.” This came from James 1:12, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
Among other things in life injuries were just one obstacle, but recently God has put it on my heart to be patient. To be specific, He has put my focus on patience in things to come. I’ve noticed lately that as a society, we want immediacy. When, in reality, we need to let God do His work in us so that something good can come out of bad. Because, trust me, the good will outweigh the bad. It’s just a matter of where you put your focus. And hopefully, if it’s in the right place, you will see that what God has in store for your life is much bigger than the situation you might be in now. Life will throw you curveballs, but it’s all about focusing in and trusting it.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4