THE GLOVE

"You're so quiet, Son. What's on your mind?" asked Ben's father as he stopped at Ben's room to tell him good night.

Ben put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling above his bed. "Oh, I've just been wondering if I should be a missionary."

"You don't seem very excited about the idea," said Dad.

"It seems like such a hard job," said Ben, propping himself up on one elbow. "I have this feeling that I might not be any good at it. What if God calls me to do something I can't do!"

Ben's father thought for a moment, then reached over to Ben's desk and picked up his baseball glove. "What's this?" he asked.

Ben laughed. "Don't be silly, Dad! It's my ball glove."

Dad walked over to the corner of the room. He propped the glove against the wall, found a baseball, and threw it at the glove. Though the ball hit the center of the glove, it rolled to the floor. Dad picked up the glove and looked at it in disgust. "This glove is a total failure," he said, shaking his head.

Ben laughed and laughed. "Oh, Dad, you know it can't catch by itself! It has to have a hand inside."

Dan smiled at Ben. "You're just like this glove," he said. "God has a purpose for your life, Ben, just as there is a purpose for this glove. You put your hand inside the glove to give it guidance and strength----you give it power to catch the ball. In the same way, God will give you power to do whatever He calls you to do. Don't worry, Son, God will never prop you in a corner and leave you alone. It's His mighty hand that does the work when you are willing to be used."

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)

Written by David Langerfeld