by Rick Furmanek
What motivates a youngster to play the game of baseball? Think about that question for a moment. Answers can be as varied as there are bat manufacturers . . . many, no doubt, would reply . . . because I love the game, because I love the competition, because I love the challenge, because I like being on a team, because I like to hear the fans, because I like my coach, because it gives me something to do, because my dad expects me to play. Did you get that last statement? ...because my dad expects me to play.
I'm reminded of a scenario I witnessed in a dugout several years ago. With the game on the line, a young, quiet player had just forgotten to run on a dropped third strike with two outs. The catcher, who had allowed the ball to get by him, ran to the backstop, snatched the ball up and ran over and tagged him out. The situation was so tense that the young boy picked up his bat and made a beeline for the corner of the dugout and with tears in his eyes declared, "I hate baseball. I hate it!" His dad, overhearing the comment, stormed into the dugout grabbed his son by the jersey, pulled him up nose to nose and said, "I don't want to ever hear you say that again. Get your gear on and get out on the field, NOW!" The son clammed up, did what his dad demanded and as soon as he was old enough, got out of the game . . . burned out and bitter.
Surprised? Should we be? We need to be asking ourselves regularly, what is motivating our own son or daughter? We know that personal motivation can fuel an inner passion for things great and good, but did you know that motivation forced upon us by another can also fuel an inner bitterness that will eventually lead to burnout? No one likes to be forced to do something they don't want to do. Yet, like the example above, we often comply . . . keeping our mouths shut, all because of the expectations of another. We do it, not for the right reasons, but merely because someone else thinks we should, until we can somehow escape.
I'm convinced that is why many stop attending church. How many have you known that, once they were old enough to make their own choice, don't go back to church? Have you known anyone who seems turned off by the church? Have you known anyone openly hostile, bitter and burned out on the church? Perhaps you even know some people who still attend, whether it be once or twice a year or with some regularity, but it's evident upon their faces that they are there for the wrong reasons . . . because someone else expects them to be there. Because someone else is attempting to motivate them to do the 'right thing'. Should it cause anyone surprise that the typical American church today is full of duty bound attenders, with no personal passion, no joy, no sense of inner motivation.
It would be a sad statement on the game, nearly unthinkable, to see two teams squaring off with 18 duty bound players who are only going through the motions having no passion for the game. Who in their right mind would want to attend a game like that? I sure wouldn't. So what is it that makes the game attractive? It is the player's pursuit of excellence motivated by an inner passion to play the game, not someone else pursuing it for him. They play the game because of something within. They play because they are true baseball players.
The pursuit of God is like that. God is not interested in our attendance at our family's church, rote prayers, or feeble attempts at being good. He doesn't want us trying to live up to someone else's religious expectations. In fact, that actually turns God off. He knows that if we stay on that track for any length of time, we're sure to burn out and lose interest in him. Instead, the Bible says that God invites us to search for him from within, a journey that leads to a personal relationship with his son, Jesus Christ. God says you can't get to that place on someone else's faith. No, it's a personal thing just between you and God.
The book of II Corinthians says, "Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it."
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