Taking a Full Swing 

If you’re like me, you might tend to second guess yourself at times, wondering if you’re doing the right thing or if you’ve heard right from God.  I think each of us go through seasons of doubt about the decisions we’ve made, especially when life around us starts to look like it’s about to fall apart.

Eric Elder runs “The Ranch” website at www.theranch.org, an online ministry designed to give you a boost in your faith anytime.  You can also find Eric on FaceBook at “facebook.com/theranchmessages”.

When I reach that point, it’s helpful for me to look at the words that God spoke to Joshua as he was about to enter into the Promised Land.  God said: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

There are three aspects of these words that I find especially helpful.  The first is to remind myself why I made the decision I did in the first place.

In Joshua’s case, God reminded him that He, God, was the one who had called Joshua to enter into the Promised Land.  “Have I not commanded you?”  God had actually called Joshua and his people to enter the Promised Land 40 years earlier, but they didn’t do it.  When they reached the border the first time, they were afraid to go in, so they turned around and headed back into the desert for another 40 years.

Now, 40 years later, Joshua had reached the same crossroad again, and God reminded him: “Have I not commanded you?”  Joshua, of course, would have remembered what God had said to him in the past, and the price that he and all the others had to pay for not doing what God had called them to do.  They may have still been afraid to move forward, and the price of doing so might still be costly, but the price of turning back again would cost even more.

If, after reviewing that initial decision, it still seems sound and reasonable, then I look at the second part of God’s words to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged…”

This part is helpful because we don’t usually know what really lies ahead, and venturing into the unknown often strikes fear in our hearts.  The very fact that God had to tell Joshua to be strong and courageous indicates to me that there were very real fears that could have overtaken his heart, and that there was probably a good reason they needed to be strong and courageous.  What they were about to face would require strength and courage; it would require internal fortitude and resolve.

God wouldn’t have needed to tell Joshua, “Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged” if, in fact, there was nothing to be terrified or discouraged about.  The truth was, what they were about to face was terrifying and it could have discouraged them, just as it did 40 years earlier.  Then why did God tell them this?  If there were really and truly terrifying dangers ahead, why would God tell them not to be afraid or discouraged?  Because of what he tells them next in the third part of this significant verse:  “for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I try to imagine walking through a mine field ahead of me.  If I had to do it on my own, I know I couldn’t do it.  I wouldn’t be able to see or even to guess where the mines might be.  But if God was with me, walking with me every step of the way, and I held on tight to Him, I have no doubt that He would be able to walk me through that field of mines just fine.  I would just need to make sure I was staying as close to Him as possible, and stepping only where He stepped.

When I look at these three things–why I made the decision I made in the first place, why I might need to be strong and courageous, and how God will be with me every step of the way–it helps me to make my next move.  Many times that means I need to keep moving forward and finish what I started, no matter how difficult the circumstances might become as I do so.

The decisions you make are important, and it’s important to make the best decisions that we can up front.  Sometimes we need to regroup along the way or retreat and go in a different direction entirely, admitting that we’re fallible and that there are times when it’s best to cut our losses before they take us down completely.  But many times we simply need to remind ourselves of why we decided to do what we’re doing in the first place, then going forward with full strength and courage to see it through to the end.

I was reading through a physics book with another son a few weeks ago as part of his schooling.  We were studying momentum and read that the difference between good and bad baseball players is “follow through.”  According to the laws of physics, there are two things that determine how far a ball will travel when it’s hit by a bat.  The first is how hard the bat strikes the ball.  But a second factor is also significant, and that’s how long the bat and the ball stay in contact with each other.  The longer the connection, the stronger the momentum.  That’s why batters need to take a “full” swing, following through with the swing that was started and not stopping the moment the bat hits the ball.

Sometimes we stop mid-swing when we hit an obstacle, stunned and wondering if we should have even stepped up to the plate.  But if we’ve stepped up to the plate with God, and if we can remember why we’re doing what we’re doing in the first place, then we can take a full swing and knock the ball out of the park.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Reprinted with permission. www.theranch.org.