Keeping My Eye on the Ball

There’s a picture in my high school year book, senior year, of me connecting bat to softball. I am recorded for the ages in my blue and white Sherwood Warriors uniform, applying a mighty swing. The funny thing is, I am not looking at the ball. I am looking off into center field where I hope to hit it. The caption reads, “Wendy Rilling taps ball in front of plate.”

Yep. I think I beat that one out for a single, but it was not one of my better at bats. In fact, by high school, I didn’t have “the feel” for hitting like I did when I was a bit younger. Curiously, this photo probably holds the answer to why…I was trying to hit by feel, not by sight.

I guess I have always been kinesthetic, probably made that way. But I wonder how often this prohibits me from really succeeding. What if I truly attended to the thing I was doing?  If I trained my eyes on the one thing in my hands. And wasn’t so often looking into the distance to see what might become of my effort. What if I just gave the day its day? the moment its moment?

Two hands and both eyes trained on what the Lord requires of me right now.

I know the Bible says we’re supposed to walk by faith and not sight, but blind faith – at least for me – is not usually a good combination.

PS…

Here’s Rosy in her bath:

Rosy enjoying a rinse