Eye On The Ball

As seen in the HEARTbeat and the Village Voice

“Eye on the Ball”

            This is an old phrase used by many coaches as a means to motivate players.  Old phrases can have many meanings, and some just don’t make sense.  Benjamin Franklin probably had more one-liners than Johnny Carson and is attributed to many quips and phrases.  One such phrase is, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  While many of us can ascertain what Mr. Franklin was meaning, why in the world would he combine quantitative data such as weight, as in ounces, pounds, or tons, with actions and outcomes like prevention and cure?  As the owl in the professor’s coat in the Tootsie Roll pop commercial of old said, “The world may never know.”

            What does it mean to keep your, “Eye on the ball?”  It can be said that it means the same as keeping your eye on the target or on the prize, as is sometimes heard, “The end goal is the end goal!”  But all this concentration can lead to some missteps or errors.

            Try this if you will.  Place an object on the table in front of you.  Stare at it as long as you can.  If you do, all things around it seems to blur.  This is the same principle for those who can read while in a moving car.  This type of person is able to shut out the movement of objects outside the car windows through the concentration of the words on the page in front of them.

            Do you think Jesus could read in a moving car?  Again, the world may never know.  In my opinion, I believe He could.  When Jesus started His ministry, and after He performed His first miracle, there probably wasn’t a day that went by where He was challenged.  “What is the greatest of the commandments,” He was asked.  “Shouldn’t this woman be stoned,” came the question from the Pharisees.  “Who will be the greatest in your kingdom,” came the question from His disciples.  We can see these questions as possible distractions, but Jesus never let them be.  In fact, some of the greatest teaching moments came as Jesus was answering those who were trying to trip Him up.

            Jesus came to be our sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins.  Jesus knew what the goal was in His coming.  In other words, He never took His eye off the ball.  Even though He kept the big picture in mind, He never failed to see to the needs of the individual such as the woman caught in adultery, the Samaritan woman at the well, and even welcoming the renowned Rabbi, Nicodemus.  He knew by seeing to needs of the individual, He would be revealing His role in the Master’s plan as Messiah.

            When we lead people to Christ, we also have an impact in the Master’s plan.  All of Heaven rejoices when another soul is saved from eternal separation from God.  How important is that??

            As you travel this week and talk about Jesus, remember you are playing a part in God’s plan to redeem people to Himself.  Keep your eye on the ball, and lead others to an eternity in Heaven with Christ.