The compliment caught me of guard.
“I admire you. You always play with a square bat.”
I still do not know if I fully understand the metaphor. Yes, I did grow up playing the game of cricket. I was a natural defensive player and batsman. I enjoyed the game. In contrast to baseball, there was rhythm and flow that seemed natural. Given the shape of a cricket bat, playing within the spirit of the game using the broad flat edge was a natural choice.
With time, experience helped improve my batting techniques. I do not remember ever quite mastering it. As I look back, there is an itch of wanting to practice again.
As I reflect on hiding with a square bat, I find myself thinking of how you and I approach life and the choices we have today. Without being dramatic or expressing judgment, we have a wide range of choices to choose from. In the course of a day, we can and will play the choices in many different ways. The question that remains to be answered in each is one of intent. What are we trying to do?
I think of an old story where an individual changed his mind and took an action nobody expected him to take. He could have left the story untold, waiting for others to find the truth. Instead, he was upfront and candid. In a note to a superior he described his action.
“I’m informing his accusers that he’s now under your jurisdiction.” (Acts 23.30)
In each choice, the questions I find myself asking include the following.
Am I trying to make a positive difference?
Will a perfect outcome help or hurt others?
Am I willing to be open with my decision?
Today comes with unknowns. Even as I reflect, life calls me to reality. What do I want to do and why? In simple terms, I want to play with a square bat. I want to be in the game, open and honest. I want to hear the stories of others. I want to share.
