Working from the stretch

In the spirit of the baseball playoffs beginning I thought this would be appropriate.

One of the greatest pitcher’s of our generation was Greg Maddux.  Greg's Earned Run Average [ERA] for the 1990's was an incredible 2.54. That is not a typo. Maddux's ERA for the decade trailed only Hoyt Wilhelm (2.16 ERA in the 1960s) and Sandy Koufax (2.36 ERA in the 60s) as the best results baseball has seen since the 1910s.

While most pitchers warm-up using their full wind-up, Greg Maddux threw most of his pitches from the stretch. Other pitchers use their full wind-up for most of their throws until the pitching coach directs them to work from the stretch. Greg practiced from the stretch because:  "The way I figure it, I'm going to have to make my best pitches out of the stretch." He practiced for the toughest times. He realized that he had to be at his best when the pressure is on. With runners on base, Maddux was more prepared than other pitchers to deliver his best pitch.

As followers of Jesus Christ, this principle is equally true. You must prepare for the pressure situations of life. Are you prepared for tough times? Do you practice in anticipation that in this life there is pressure you will face? There are trials of many kinds that you face. How do prepare for these challenging times? Jesus taught that the storms of life would come. He taught that the person who hears his words and puts them into practice is prepared for the harsh realities of life. The person who hears the words of Jesus and doesn't put them into practice finds his world crashing around him.

Jesus said,  “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”  Matthew 7:24-27

If you want to stretch your faith, take time today to read that message of Jesus. Take his teaching to heart. Put his instruction into practice. You will find yourself ready when the pressure is on.