Apr 27, 2015

President’s Page

by Bill Probasco

Spring is a wonderful time of the year. This particular winter seemed to keep going and going…it was almost as if the Groundhog saw two shadows! But finally warmer weather has come. Flowers bloom. Trees bud. And spring sports return. Many of you know that I coach a couple of sports. Every spring for the last decade I’ve coached softball, and this year is no different. With any new season, teams gather to practice, go over schedules, evaluate talent, learn plays or signs, and generally get ready for that first game as best they can. The school team I’m coaching meets after school three or four days a week. I have them play some catch, field some grounders, do some base-running, etc. I do this to determine who would be best at each position, and to help build team chemistry. One day I arrived at practice and realized that between switching cars, unloading groceries, and living the hectic family life, I had not put my softball equipment in the car. I try to be prepared for each practice — I’m the coach after all — but this time I had slipped up. My theme came to mind. Steadfast means to hold to a belief or stand firm to a principle. My desire to be a prepared coach ready to work with my players was still there, but the execution had failed. My forgetting my gear for practice doesn’t mean I didn’t want to have it with me. I hadn’t purposely forgotten it, but I had forgotten it just the same.

I was able to run practice with the girls anyway. Fortunately, they had gloves and bats. The school had softballs and bases. They were prepared. However, between forgetting my equipment and trying to borrow a left-handed glove, I was not able to focus fully. Now as I sit back and think about it, this was not an entirely new experience.

I was surprised to realize I’ve had this

happen at church before. Sometimes I will show up at church and I haven’t prepared properly for the upcoming Sabbath School lesson. Or maybe I have had difficulty forgetting some event that happened at work during the week. Church still goes on. Others are able to praise and worship just fine. But I’m not 100% focused because I’m thinking about these things or realizing I’ve forgotten something. If I’m not fully focused, then I’m not fully engaged in the service. It’s sort of “cat-napping” on Sabbath, instead of resting fully in God. It’s not that I don’t want to be — it’s just I’ve let other things distract me, or delay me, or cause me to not be prepared.

What if God dealt with us in such a manner? Would the scriptures read “lo, I am with you mostly, maybe until the end of the age”? Would our children sing “Jesus loves me this I think”? That whole “What Would Jesus Do” (WWJD) campaign would just not have been as catchy with “What

Might Jesus Do (WMJD)”! I’m thankful Christ never shows up half-prepared. He is the embodiment of being steadfast. We aren’t. He is. Why? He loves us. We’ve just come out of the Easter season and are headed into Pentecost. This is the time of year when Christ shed his blood to atone for our short comings (whether that be our transgressions or even our lack of focus), and the Holy Spirit was poured out on His followers. God does not show up late, lost, or unprepared. He can’t. He won’t. He’s too invested in all of us…in each of us…in you. He’s that STEADFAST.

Our Lord holds fast to the principle of loving His children. John 3:16 spells it out clearly. He so loved the world — so loved us, you and me — He sent Christ. Christ came and “stood fast” as our substitute. Now, He’s our example. We, too, can be steadfast in getting others saved.

There may be days where we forget our “glove and bat,” but with God’s steadfast support, we can still practice our faith and fellowship with others. Then, hopefully, as our team grows — as His team grows — we are more likely to be prepared each and every time for whatever opportunities arise.