BASEBALL LIFE LESSONS:  “THROW YOUR CARES!”

by Tammy Phillips
June 20, 2020

How many times have you heard, “Cast your cares?”  God knows that the cares of this world are too much for us.  We are not built to shoulder anxieties, worries or fear.

THREE WAYS TO THROW A BALL or “CARE” BACK:

1. CASTING FAST AND THROW BACK IMMEDIATELY

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you [watchfully]. (1 Peter 5:7 AMPC)

“Casting” means to fling with sudden motion without thought.  Following is this baseball mom’s idea of “casting.”  The opposing team has a player on first base, trying to steal to second.  The pitcher and the catcher try to prevent the enemy from advancing.  When the ball is thrown to the batter, the catcher does not “take” the ball into the glove.  He releases it, as soon as he receives it, getting it back to the pitcher as fast as possible.  Or, if the opposition tries to advance, a good catcher pops ups and casts the ball in the necessary direction within 1.3 to 2 seconds. Pop time equals the time a pitch hits the glove to the moment it strike the glove of second baseman.

In life, we are not meant to catch nor take the care.  It is best for us, if we pop up and immediately throw it back to God.

2. CATCH AND THROW BACK QUICKLY

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail). (Psalm 55:22 KJV)

Cast, here, means to make a deliberate decision to throw.  Like baseball, sometimes in life we cannot immediately fling it, all we can do is just throw the “ball” back to the Pitcher as quickly as possible.  We are tempted and take the care into our life glove because it is heavy.  It is harder to throw back.  This time, we have to make a conscious effort to hurl it back to the Father.  He promises to sustain which means to hold, but also to hold up.  He catches the care, holds us up, helps us bear it and provides an escape route.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God [is] faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear [it]. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV)

3. CATCH AND GET IT BACK TO THE PITCHER HOWEVER POSSIBLE

Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5 KJV

Like a catcher in baseball, frequently, we are thrown curve balls in life.  The care is too hard to handle. It flies right by the glove and can cause havoc on the field of life.  Sometimes, we are not prepared to deal with the care that is thrown; we just drop the ball.  Often, we take the care into our glove and fool around with it, and then throw it back.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ( 2 Corinthians 12:7-8 NKJV)

We all have our “thorn,” the thing which is hard to handle, the thing which wears us out and humbles us.  The word says in Psalm 37 to “commit” our way to the Lord.  Commit doesn’t mean throw; it means roll.  If we cannot toss our care immediately or throw it back quickly, His word tells us to just roll it on Him.

I enCOURAGE you to cast, hurl or roll your cares on the LORD. He cares for you. He wants to carry it for you.  He wants to take care of you, but you have to throw it to Him in this game of life.  He does not miss, nor fail.