Trying versus Training

At some point—hopefully soon—MLB and the MLB Players Association will finalize a new collective bargaining agreement, Spring Training will commence, and baseball will return.

Spring Training and Lent—which begins Ash Wednesday—share an important thing in common beyond happening at the same time of year. It’s a time players ramp up their training so that when the heat is on they do exactly what needs to be done when it needs to be done as a matter of habit. For thousands of years disciples of Jesus have focused on the same thing at Lent.

Because whether it’s effortlessly and habitually turning a double play, or obeying everything Jesus commanded, it takes more than just trying…it requires training.

One has to try, of course, but we seriously overestimate what we can do solely by trying, and grossly underestimate what we can do by training. This is why MLB players don’t just show up on Opening Day with their bat and glove ready to try really, really hard. So, similar to the pre-season in baseball, Lent is a time when disciples of Jesus pay particular attention to training.

Trying versus training this Sunday. See you then.

Steve+