God's Coaching #266

God's Coaching #266

The hits just kept on coming. And for Ichiro Suzuki, the Seattle Mariners star outfielder, that was a good thing. Ichiro may not be as well known as a middle-of-the-order slugger or a flame-throwing strikeout pitcher, but he has been better than any other Major League Baseball player in recent history at one thing: getting base hits. On September 23, 2010, baseball’s “Hit Machine” recorded his 200th hit for the 10th consecutive season to set a major league record!

Ichiro has been going about his art quietly ever since he smacked 242 hits in 2001 to win American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors. Most of his hits are singles, the least exciting of all hits in baseball. Through his first 10 seasons, he never totaled more than 15 home runs or 69 RBIs. He is not overly talkative with reporters and has spent his entire career with Seattle, which last made the play-offs in 2001. Yet, Ichiro will likely be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame when he retires. All because he quietly went about his business of getting on base. Hit . . . after hit . . . after hit.

What’s the Score?

Do you want to be the most popular kid at school? Do you always want to be picked first for teams or be praised by others? Receiving recognition for what we do isn’t wrong, but it’s not something we should crave. Like Ichiro’s quiet, steady work doing something that’s not overly exciting, there’s great value in Christians working hard at obeying God without wanting personal glory or fame.

We can achieve great things for God by quietly serving him day by day. In doing this, we will please him and draw the attention of unbelievers who will wonder why we do what we do.

On the Ball

Find a behind-the-scenes way to serve others, like doing yard work for an elderly couple in your neighborhood, serving food at a soup kitchen, or writing letters to children in third-world countries.

Coach’s Comment

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12