BLIND. Idolatry.
Growing up, I never had an interest in playing or watching baseball. It seemed slow and boring to me. However, that changed when my son started playing at the age of 5. On his birthday, we had bought him a pinata and while he was taking massive hacks at it, my uncle leans in and says you need to put him in tee-ball. All I could think is - how boring, but my wife and I asked if he would like to play. He did, so we signed him up and off we went. Early on, it was just as I thought - brutal! But as our son begin to practice more, he was becoming a pretty good player. We noticed that he was the only one diving for balls and actually catching them. A year later, he had made several unassisted double-plays and one unassisted triple play. I couldn't have been more proud. At this point he had been on a neighborhood team that was planning on moving forward with the same roster, so we had a decision to make. Do we stay with the neighborhood team, with dads for coaches, or look into something more competitive, with paid coaches? We decide to stay with the neighborhood team, because it was the Fall season and things were going to be tame, and the coach assured me that our my son with keep his position at short stop. However, as we started, my son was replaced with another player and he was pushed over to 2nd base. So I'm thinking, my son isn't playing where I think he should, yet this was supposed to be a laid back season. And dads are coaching him instead of paid coaches. Obviously, I want the best for my son and so I reach out to an acquaintance and ask about better programs in the area. He gives me the info to the "best " competitive organization in the area and I take my son to tryouts. He makes the team and now it’s time to begin the world of travel ball.
We played over 50 games that season and won all but 2. I believe it was the best record in the state that year. This kind of schedule went on for the next 7 years. My son learned a lot about baseball through dedication, hard work and not giving up. He also began to question the reason why they played so much. You see, we had gotten so caught up in our son and baseball that we forgot what was important. I will never forget that one time we had a tournament and it fell on the weekend of Palm Sunday. My son asked me and wife if we were going to miss church and we had to tell him yes. We knew better, but again, we allowed ourselves to get overtaken by an idol; an idol that we thought was for our son's best interest at the time.
Interestingly, throughout this experience, our attitude changed and we had become angry, bitter and frustrated with so much practicing, playing, and the lack of respect the coaches had for our son (so we thought). So this idol had become a nuisance. It had become a burden that we no longer enjoyed. Sure, we loved to watch our son play, but we hated the travel and the long weekends. We despised the late Saturdays and early Sundays, and no church.
The Word talks about idols and how they can cause us much grief.
They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
Psalm 106:36
You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exodus 20:3
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
1 Corinthians 10:14
Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
1 John 5:31
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19
Finally, after 8 years, we told our son he could continue to play, but we could no longer play on Sunday. He was relieved. I told the coach what we had discussed and our reasoning and he was fine with it. Even though we had been unfaithful, God took care of it.
I know youth baseball isn't important. But something so minor like this example can indeed take over one's life and pull focus from God and His will. Embarrassingly enough, it took us almost 8 years to realize it and make the change.
Do you have any known or possibly hidden idols? Is there anything (or multiple things) you are putting before God? If so, go to Him with those things and repent. Ask him to forgive you of those things and get back in fellowship with Him today.