They come to bat with gritty determination in their faces, hit solid line drives, and run toward the bases with all the intensity of someone in the major leagues.
In the outfield they race toward the ball, sometimes diving, in order to make the put out before the batter reaches base.
On the bench, they listen intently and cheer loudly when their team scored a run.
Sound like baseball in any other league? Not really. This league has a unique requirement for all its players . . . they all must be legally blind in order to participate.
On July 26, 2016, I witnessed the beginning of the playoffs for the National Beep Baseball Association World Series in Ames, Iowa. I met Nick, pictured above sprinting past first base, and experienced the sights, sounds, and emotions of beep baseball. The baseball beeps to help both the batter and fielders locate it. When the ball is hit, a base beeps and the hitter runs toward the sound.
Spiritually, we have much in common with the players in the Beep Baseball World Series playoffs. We believe God’s Word about the world yet to come, but it remains unseen. With eyes aided by the Holy Spirit, we see our Savior albeit still dimly, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face . . .”[i] We await Jesus’ appearing when we will not only see His glory face to face but be changed to be like Him.[ii]
In the meantime, we battle an unseen foe. The Apostle Paul says that our battle is not “against flesh and blood” but with spiritual powers of wickedness.[iii] In reality, we are all on a team battling together against Satan and his minions.
Unlike the players in the Beep Baseball League, we so often lose heart because of the unseen nature of our battle. The things we see so easily blur our spiritual focus for things that remain unseen. We lose our focus on the unseen and soon our heart for pressing forward through the struggles and difficulties of life.
Jesus, however, will soon appear; our faith will be sight! Until then we press on toward our upward call when Jesus takes us to forever be with Him.
[i] I Corinthians 13:12
[ii] 1 John 3:2-3
[iii] Ephesians 6:12