Our Stories
Lovingly Unused
By Aaron Soderlund | posted 07/23/2009
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16, NIV)
So I was talking recently about my baseball career that started when I was 5. How in the summers I’d go to Stottlemyer Baseball Camp in Yakima and learn all the ins and outs of baseball. We’d practice our sliding skills on slip-n-slides in the 105 degree Yakima heat. I learned a lot about baseball in my summer camps there. One thing they taught me about, which wasn’t skill-related, was about taking care of your glove so that it’s in good form and most effective.
I have had the same glove since I was in 5th grade. You have never seen a glove so well taken-care of. Before every season I’d tighten the leather straps between all of the fingers and the web. I never cut off the excess string either for fear that it would detract from the purity of the glove. It was never left lying on its side because it would ruin the form. And in the off-season, it’s stored in a box that fits the glove perfectly. A ball is placed inside the glove and newspaper crumpled up inside the glove to help the glove keep its form during the dreadful months of no baseball, while it sits lovingly unused. All that to say, a lot of effort has gone in to keeping my beloved baseball glove in its pristine condition.
Except for as I got older and busier, I cared a little less and a little less. Instead of inside its perfectly-fitting box, my glove sits in my baseball bat bag along with all the dirty softballs, bats and cleats. And with Creekside not having a softball team for the past four years or more, the glove rarely comes out of that dirty bat bag. Except for on occasion. Because instead of playing baseball or softball, I watch it on TV, go to a game, talk about it, or whatever. But you don’t need the glove if you’re not out playing the game.
My Bible is something that is very much like my baseball glove. I heard early on that the Bible should never be on the floor. It should never have any other books stacked on top of it. In a way, it should have its own perfectly-fitting box just like my glove. And that worked for a while. Then I got older and more things took my attention. I quit bringing it to church. The scripture was put up on the screen, so why bring it? And life just goes on all around me and taking all my attention while my Bible sits quite like my baseball glove... lovingly unused.
Sure, I have my "Bible App" on my phone with daily devotions and scriptures. I read books with my friend that help us further develop our walk with Christ, and they always have Scripture laced throughout them. But if I’m not out actually playing the game, rather than watching from the sidelines or on TV, why do I need my glove or my Bible. They both are held in high reverence, but both go too lovingly unused.
I miss the feel of the glove on my hand. I miss standing at third base eagerly anticipating a hard hit ball that I can scoop up and throw to first. I keep track of baseball pretty well from the sidelines. But I haven’t played in a long time. And when I don’t play for a while, I’m not as prepared for those hard hit balls to third base. In fact, I get nervous. I have to play regularly to be effective. I keep track of my walk with Christ pretty well from the sidelines too. But I want to get in the game again. And to be effective, I have to play regularly.
I’m going to go home, pull my glove out of my dingy bat bag and get it back into its good condition and form. I’m going to pull my Bible out from under the books that it isn’t supposed to be under. And I’m gonna get in the game. Who’s playin’?
Aaron can be reached via email here.
