Batter Up

I haven't been much of a baseball player but I have always found significance in the common phrase: Keep Your Eye on the Ball. Since I am a missionary I suppose it won't be much of a surprise that I want to relate this to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The picture above is of my brother. Now, I wasn't at the game so I can't say for sure, but I think he hit the ball in this picture. Notice where is eyes are focused. They aren't looking at his bat, or the outfield, or anything but the ball itself. If we want to return to live with our Father in Heaven we've got to keep our eyes on the prize. We need to stay focused on what we want in the end, not what catches our eye for a moment.

So next time you see something out of the corner of your eye, so to speak, pay no attention. Just keep your eye on the ball and knock it out of the park. Batter up!

Baskets, Benches, and Benefits

Growing up I spent a lot of time in my driveway shooting baskets. I've always loved basketball and found it easy to spend a lot of time practicing my free throws or whatever else. However, my mother knew that other skills in my life would be more beneficial then just being able to put a ball through a hoop. For instance, she encouraged me from a young age to learn to play the piano. I didn't always find as much joy sitting on that hard piano bench as I did playing out in the front yard. In fact, there were times when my mother was probably very disappointed in my lack of dedication. I remember her saying something to the effect of, "If you would spend half as much time practicing the piano as you do playing basketball just imagine how good you could be."

Looking back, I wish I had listened to my mother on that subject as well as others. Sports are fun and we can learn a lot about life and about ourselves from them. But as time goes on, they seem to matter less and less in the eternal scheme of things. What is important is that we live the kind of life that God wants us to. We should keep His commandments and do the things that He has asked us to. In this, lies true happiness.

J.O.Y.

This Christmas season I hope that we can all have JOY. Maybe the word joy could actually serve as an acronym for our priorities this time of year.

J for Jesus
O for Others
Y for Yourself

Our focus should be on Christ, His life, what He did for us. One way that we can show our love for Him is by serving the people He died for. I have found some of the greatest joy in my life by serving others. If we will focus less on ourselves and more on our Savior I know that this Christmas can, and will, have greater significance.