What do you think of when you hear the word complete? Does it just mean getting it done or does it mean giving all you have to finish the task at hand? There are lots of words that come to mind when I see the word complete; finished, whole, entire, undivided, to name a few. However, in the definition of the word complete, you don’t see the word perfect. When I see the word perfect I think of the word flawless. Do you think of people as being perfect or even flawless? Is it possible to be perfect?
Every starting pitcher that's ever thrown in a baseball game is to throw a perfect game. Is it possible? We all know that the answer is yes: history tells us that. But during that game, did they throw any balls, throw one in the dirt only to be scooped up by his catcher, or did his coach every come out to calm him down? Does that make it an “imperfect” game? In my opinion there has never and will never be a truly “perfect” game. But, does that mean that you shouldn't be content with only throwing a complete game?
A pitcher that has pitched a complete game will tell you that it did not come easy. It took many decisions during the full nine innings. He learned his strengths and his opponent’s weaknesses as the game went along. He learned how to work the strike zone and what his best pitches were. The hitter may have gotten a hit but he always came back and struck out the next. Even if the hitter hit a homerun, it didn’t mean the game was over. He had to come back throwing and continue to give his best. With this being said, the pitcher can’t win the game alone. He needs assistance from his infield, outfield, catcher, his teammates’ bats and let’s not forget the coach.
You may be thinking, “Where is he going with all of this?”...well we are the pitcher and life is the game of baseball. Like the pitcher, we are going to come up against obstacles in our lives. It all depends on how we face those. Will we let life knock us down and not do anything about it or will we get back up? Our family and friends are there for us to use. Be sure you use them as tools and not crutches. We use crutches to depend on but what do you do when those crutches aren’t there anymore? You have to depend on yourself and use your friends as tools when you need that extra advantage. The game of life is just like baseball, you’re going to have ups and downs but at the end of the day, you give it all you have hoping to come out on top. You give the game all you have until your coach pulls you out.
God is our coach. Although we may not feel like we’re done, He knows when it is time to come out. He knows what decisions need to be made. God is the almighty coach because he knows what’s going to happen before it happens. He put us in the game of life and our job is to be a reflection of him with the best of our ability. We should always give 100% of us while we are in this game because you never know when he has decided that enough is enough and pulls us out. Nine innings is not always the same length of time and neither is life. Whether that is thirty, fifty or one hundred years, our job is to put everything we have on the line for our family, friends and most of all, our coach. Live life to the fullest because you just never know when your time will come and you’ll be taken from it. Think again about your definition of complete....
How will you decide to throw your complete game?
