Stealing Second Base

Someone said, "You cannot steal second base while keeping one foot on first base." That's not only true in baseball, it's true in many areas of life.

Many baseball fans remember the name of Maury Wills who held the record for the most stolen bases between 1960 and 1966. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in 1962, he stole 104 bases in one season. This is a picture of his 104th steal.

What many people don't know is another record Wills held. In 1965, a year in which he had the most stolen bases, he also held the record for being thrown out the most times while attempting to steal a base. He was caught trying to steal thirty-one times that year.

Maury Wills didn't allow himself to get discouraged when he was thrown out. Otherwise, he never would have set the records he did. He liked to go for it. He was willing to take a risk. Once he set out to steal a base, there was no turning back.

What's holding you back from achieving your God-given dream? Is it fear of failure? Go for it with determination and your whole heart. And don't look back. You'll never make it to second base if you keep your foot on first.

Big Ed's Driver's Ed

I haven't blogged much lately. One reason is because most of my spare time has been spent in teaching my youngest daughter to drive. We're doing one of the state-approved parent courses and we've spent a lot of time lately driving all over the metroplex.

Riding in the passenger seat with a sixteen-year-old driver is quite an experience. For one thing, you have no control over the car. As hard as I push my foot to the floor when Tiffany needs to apply the brake, nothing happens. I hope the death grip I've had on the door handle doesn't break it off!

Teaching a son or daughter to drive is quite a learning experience for both the student and the parent. Since this is my fourth time, I'm not a rookie at this. But I'm still learning. I even heard myself say something rather profound the other day.

As is typical of most teenage drivers, Tiffany just wants her driver's license. She doesn't care for all the reading she has to do or the many hours of behind-the-wheel training that are required. In typical impatient teenager fashion, she has asked me numerous times, "How many more hours do I have?" Following my answer that is disappointing to her, she says something like, "I'll never get my license!"

So I recently said, "Tiffany, the goal is not to get your license. The goal is learning to drive safely. Once you do that, you'll have your license."

Most of us are similar to impatient teenagers at times. We want to skip the process of discipline that God uses in our lives to help us grow and we don't want to wait. But the discipline and the waiting are necessary elements for our spiritual development.

Tiffany will only get her license after I'm convinced she's mastered the skills necessary to be a good, safe driver. Likewise, God will continue to train us in areas we would rather skip over because He wants what's best for us. He does it for our good. Just as a parent who loves his daughter does with Driver's Ed.