Hit It Harder ...

Hit it, hit it harder. That is a statement I have said a lot in the last week in a half. Don't panic, I am coaching volleyball. I am the Junior Varsity coach at a local High School. How did this happen? I did premarital counseling for the Varsity coach and during that time we all talked about sports and volleyball in particular. I offered to help in practices and at matches for the next season. About a month and a half ago the coach contacted me about being the JV coach and here I am.

I am learning a lot. One of the things I am learning is that some the girls need to be encouraged to really hit the ball. Oh, they aren't afraid of hurting the ball or even themselves but rather they are too worried that they will hit the ball out of the court. Then there are the girls who just swing with all they have. The irony is that the girls who are worried about hitting the ball out rarely hit it in the court. The ones who swing hard hit it out sometimes but they also hit a lot more winners.

I started thinking about how this applies spiritually. (Hey, I'm a pastor and we are also looking for transitions, illustrations or just great life applications.) There seem to be those who are obsessed with not making a mistake and therefore rarely do much of anything to make a difference for the Lord. Then there are those who are always trying to do something for the Lord, at times they seem to go off in many different directions at once, but they also seem to learn, grow and help others in the process of trying. They are not as focused on what to avoid as they are on what the Lord wants them to do for Him.

Don't have a hissy fit, I know that as followers of Christ there things we are to avoid. But the point is that if your whole focus is on identifying what to avoid you will rarely recognize what to do. So I want to be more like my volleyball girls who are swinging hard trying to hit winners rather than the ones who are so afraid of making a mistake that they never hit a winner.

P.S. Remember me as I try to coach and be the example I need to be for these young ladies and their families.

P.P.S. (or should it be P.S.S.) Hit harder and enjoy the results.