One morning at my discipleship breakfast, one of the men in my group shared a simple but powerful story about an interaction with his young son. As I listened, the Lord spoke to my heart—and I believe He will speak to yours as well. I thought it was worth sharing.
My friend Lee came home from work one evening after a very long day. He was completely worn out. All he could think about was lying down on the couch and taking a quick nap. But just then, his four-year-old son came up to him and asked, “Dad, can we go outside and play catch?”
Lee is a great dad, so he did what any good father would do. He said yes.
They headed outside together. Logan didn’t really know how to use his baseball mitt yet, but he was eager to learn. Lee patiently helped him slide his fingers into the right places, then positioned Logan just a few feet away. “Lift your glove like this,” Lee said, demonstrating the motion.
“Okay, Dad—I’m ready!” Logan replied, full of anticipation.
Standing just a short distance away, Lee gently and precisely tossed the ball straight into the center of Logan’s glove.
The look on Logan’s face said it all. “I caught it! I caught it, Dad!” he shouted. Then he took off running into the house. “Mom! Mom!” he yelled as he searched for her. When he found her, he exclaimed, “I’m playing catch with Dad—and I CAUGHT THE BALL!” They high-fived, and Logan raced back outside, ready for more.
Lee was waiting. Once again, with great care, he placed the ball perfectly into the center of Logan’s glove. Logan beamed with pride, and Lee quietly enjoyed the joy of his son experiencing a brand-new accomplishment.
As Lee told me this story, I couldn’t help but think about how often the Lord works in our lives the same way. God leads us to do something—and then He helps us accomplish it. It is really His doing from start to finish, yet we are often quick to run off and tell someone how great our accomplishment was.
He helps us because He loves us. He helps us because He does not want us to become discouraged and give up. And yet, when He places the ball right in the center of our glove, we sometimes want to take the credit for ourselves. We are funny that way.
Jesus cut straight to the heart of this truth when He said:
John 15:5 (NLT) “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing.”
The apostle Paul understood this well. He recognized that while God had deposited gifts and abilities in him, those gifts were expressions of God’s grace—His divine help. If they were gifts of grace, why would Paul take credit for them?
Paul had an extraordinary work ethic, but he knew exactly where it came from. He wrote:
1 Corinthians 15:10 (NLT) “But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace.”
Paul glorified God, not himself, because he understood that even his strength to labor came from the Lord.
Like Logan, we receive help from our Heavenly Father. God will help us do things that feel good and make us proud. And when that happens, we may feel the urge to tell someone—and that’s okay. But let’s always remember to give credit where credit is due.
It is His love.
It is His grace.
It is His help that places the ball right in the center of our glove.
2 Corinthians 1:12 (NLT) “…We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom…”
