Learning from the Master

"to show you the way you should go"

Deuteronomy 1:33

Well, it's almost time for baseball season to start up again.  Amazing Boy has his first practice in a few days.  After that, I'll be hard-pressed to find any open evenings or Saturdays on my calendar. 

Fortunately, he loves baseball that much.  So much so that even before we get started with official practices, he's been meeting once a week with a friend of ours to practice hitting.  They get together for an hour and hit balls off the tee.  I sat and watched a few weeks ago, and I was intrigued by the methods the coach was using. 

Part of the reason I started paying attention to them, instead of the book I had brought along, was because of the noise I heard.  I was off aways, not paying a great deal of attention, and hearing my boy connect bat-to-ball, when all of a sudden I heard the sound of a bat hitting a ball, waaaaay harder than my boy can hit a ball.  And when I looked up, I saw that his hitting coach was taking a few swings too. 

And as I watched, I saw the coach talking, giving instruction, giving hints, giving direction.  And then my son would take a few swings, or hit a few balls.  Then the coach would correct him, or teach him something else, and he'd hit a few, to show him.  Then he'd give the bat back to my boy so he could put into practice what he had just seen and heard. 

What was wonderful about it was the combination of talking, watching, and showing that the coach was doing.  'Cause you can't thoroughly teach someone by doing just one. 

It made me grateful once again, for the gospels.  I'm so glad we have those records of Jesus' time on earth ~ what He did, what He said.  He was showing us how to live.  He gave us His Word, and then He came down to earth to demonstrate.   He showed us how to love the Lord our God, by being entirely devoted to the will of His Father.  And He showed us how to love our neighbor as ourselves, by showing compassion and love, and laying down His life for ours. 

~ "Show me Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths" ~

Psalm 25:4

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