“…aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you” (I Thessalonians 4:11)
Hank Aaron (Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, 1954-74; Milwaukee Brewers (1975-76) was the MLB homerun record holder for many years. He totaled 755 homeruns during his illustrious twenty-two-year career. Barry Bonds (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1986-92; San Francisco Giants, 1993-07) beat Aaron’s record by playing one less year, and 312 less games, with a total of 762 homeruns. Babe Ruth (Boston Red Sox, 1914-10; New York Yankees, 1920-34; Boston Braves, 1935) is currently listed in third place with 714. Yet, the Bambino was the most consistent hitter with a batting average of .342 compared to Aaron (.298) and Bonds (.305).
But statistics can be deceiving. As great as the names of Aaron, Bonds, and Ruth sounds, it is an inescapable fact that all these legends had many more opportunities to hit dingers but didn’t. In fact, the measurement for how frequently a batter hits a homerun is called AB/HR (at bats per homerun). This baseball statistic is determined by dividing the number of at-bats by the number of homeruns hit. For example, the MLB record holder for AB/HR is Mark McGwire who hit 583 career homeruns. His AB/HR ratio was 10.61. When viewed from this angle, even history’s greatest homerun hitters often struck out, or only got a base hit. Many Christians today try to live “homerun Christianity”. They swing for the fences and go for the big one every time, yet often strike out and fail miserably.
Social media seems to feed the frenzy of the Christian rat race. As a result, people often try to create a name for themselves out of the wrong motivation. Perhaps, they get excited about their faith, so they go to Seminary. But once the hard knocks of ministry hit them they quickly get discouraged and tank out realizing they weren’t called by God.
Other Christians may long for a position in the church that affords them prestige and attention. Instead of being patient, relying on wise counsel, or waiting for a door to open, they go about gaining a position the wrong way and get burned. Sometimes well-meaning Christians become the office evangelist. Instead of doing their job faithfully, they shirk their job description, are constantly critical of their co-workers, fail to build any meaningful relationships, and are self-proclaimed martyrs when their boss confronts them about their job performance. What has happened here? They are not wrong for desiring to be an effective witness. Rather, they have tarnished their Christian testimony by not performing their job with excellence and instead are marked by hypocrisy. Such a one is not “minding [his] own affairs” (I Thess 4:11), but is guilty of meddling in the affairs of others. Before you know it, he gets fired. Athletes and former athletes are by nature competitive. This is a good attribute to possess in life, but not apart from wisdom. “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered” (Prov 28:26).
These are all examples of “homerun Christians”. Instead of seeking to be consistent, disciplined, and faithful in the little things, they swing for the fences and miss. But what does Scripture say about this? It says, Christians are to “live quietly” (I Thess 4:11) meaning that in contrast to worldly ideas of ambition and fame, they focus on the business at hand that God has placed in front of them. The Bible also says Christians are to “work with [their] hands” (I Thess 4:11). What does this mean? Paul writes these words to Christians who were so obsessed with the second coming of Christ that they quit their jobs. They became so “heavenly minded” that they were of no “earthly good”. Instead of building with their hands, they used their words to tear others down as full-time busybodies.
What tasks has God placed before you? Are you setting a godly example by hustling in the workplace even when you don’t get the promotion you want? Do you faithfully attend practice with sharp focus even though you haven’t earned the starting job you want badly and think you deserve? Are you consistently doing the right thing even when you don’t think the coaches are watching? God is always watching. He sees. He takes notes and is recruiting those who are faithful in the little things to be the ones who make the greatest impact.
Instead of swinging for a homerun every day, focus on getting to first base, then second, then third. Work at making sure you hit the ball of life and then take the next step. Do this one day at a time, and God will open doors for you leading to greater impact for His kingdom. Focus on the little things instead of swinging for something in the distance that you may not get because God has something better right in front of you.