Batter Up!
Reflective Reading: Daniel 5:11, Proverbs 22:29, Matthew 25:20-21, Luke 16:10-11, and Colossians 1:27-29
I don’t watch much sports during the year, but I love catching the last game of the World Series. As a child, I remember listening to the NY Yankees on the radio with my friends as we sat on the steps of a neighbor’s house. I can still hear the excitement of the announcer when Mickey Mantle came up to bat; and often hear those unforgettable words—going, going, gone! Those were great memories and great players.
Before Mickey Mantle there was another great player—Ted Williams. Some have said that he was born with special abilities. One pitcher said that he was able to see the threads on the ball and determine which direction the ball would curve. Was he born with “special ability?” The same is said about Beethoven, Mozart, Angelo, da Vinci, Edison, and Einstein. But were they born with these unusual and exceptional skills? The answer is, no.
Let’s take Angelo and da Vinci, for example. The two men actually lived down the street from one another. They lived in a community that was highly competitive, where other great artists such as Raphael, Titian, and Correggio all admired one another and aggressively competed against each other. In such a highly competitive setting, it was only natural that skill levels advanced.
After the first grade, Edison was considered by his teacher and his father to be mentally retarded. Einstein once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Mozart once wrote to his father saying, “Nobody has devoted so much time and thought to composition as I.” Beethoven’s compositions also didn’t come as a gift. It often took him 60-70 drafts before he was satisfied. He wrote, “I make many changes, and reject and try again, until I am satisfied. Only then do I begin the working-out in breadth, length, height and depth in my head.” Beethoven was also pushed (forced might be a better word) by his father as a young child, to the limits in music. He was often flogged or locked in the cellar until he learned his lessons.
Ted Williams was also not born with supernatural abilities. Eye witness accounts tell us that Ted was always seen with a bat in his hands. To strengthen his vision, he would often walk with one eye closed. As a child, he heard that watching movies was not good for the eyes, so he never attended the movies. He practiced at the field for hours upon hours every day, and even after he entered the major league, he continued to practice after practice was over.
Steve Jobs, the driving force behind one of the most creative and prosperous companies of all time, Apple, was also not born gifted. Jobs had a relentless pursuit in technological and aesthetic excellence. His demand for excellence upon himself and those who worked for him places him among the Beethovens, Mozarts, Einstein’, and da Vincis of this world.
Da Vinci, probably the most diversely talented human being ever, was an exceptional engineer and anatomist, conceptualist of the automobile, helicopter, machine-gun, and also part-time geographer, mathematician, musician, and botanist. How did he achieve this? Like Jobs, Einstein, Edison, Beethoven, and Mozart, he was relentless and believed the sky was the limit. What I find interesting is that many of these extreme achievers were not Christians. So why are so few Christians reaching such great heights in innovation, creativity, discovery, and accomplishment? Dr. Luke gives us the answer when he says,
“The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Luke 16:8
This ought not to be! If these men, who were not children of God, accomplished such great works, how much more should the children of light accomplish? May we learn from their relentless pursuit of excellence and, in the words of William Carey,
“Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God!”
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
The Little Preacher (Ages 6+)
Rising to the Top (Ages 9+)
Ishmael (Ages 12+)
