My 5-year-old grandson, Ethan, looked so cute out on the field in his baseball uniform. Watching all those munchkins running from base to base with little legs pumping is beyond adorable. But they’ve made great progress since the first game when they didn’t have a clue what they were doing.
Some of their dads help coach the team. They’re out on the field with the little guys, calling out instructions, telling them when to run and when to stop. And on occasion, picking them up and turning them in the right direction. Yes, cuteness off the charts.
My favorite moment, though, came when Ethan got up to bat, a tiny little guy wearing a huge helmet. Grandparents, parents, aunt, uncle and cousins yelled, “C’mon, Ethan! You can do it!” as he missed the first two pitches. But on the third one, he connected, and the ball sailed into the field.
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Ethan took off. The kid can run, and it looked like his little legs were flying. He tagged first. And then looking straight ahead, he ran to second. Without looking left or right, he ran to third. And then—keeping his eyes on the prize of home plate—he ran to the base and slid in . . . even though the ball was nowhere nearby. A home run!
His little face was so sweet when they handed him the game ball at the end, and he held it in the car and all through dinner at the restaurant where we all celebrated.
My eyes misted as my precious grandson scored his home run. Partly with pride and joy for him, but also because of a verse from Philippians 3:14 that God brought to mind, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” It hit me that with Ethan’s total focus as he ran around the bases, God had just given me the visual of what it means to keep my eyes on the prize of what He wants me to do.
Way to go, buddy! I hope you’ll do just as well when it comes to keeping your eyes and focus on Jesus.
