“Remain in Me, and I in you, just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.” – John 15:4

Do you remember your first new baseball glove? Mine was a “genuine” Tony Taylor that I purchased when I was eight years old. It was awesome! It rarely left my hand during the day and each night I would rub it down with a generous application of saddle soap to soften the leather. To help shape the glove’s pocket, I would put a baseball in the center and pull it tight with my Sunday belt. Then my glove and I would go to bed for the night. I knew this glove was going to make me a better player and my confidence soared. As time passed, I learned that the glove wasn’t going to improve my game all that much. The truth was that the glove was only as good as the hand that went inside.

We can easily apply this principle to our Christian lives. My glove was a great glove, but its ability was limited. Without a masterful hand inside, the glove could not do what it was designed to do. If we think of ourselves as baseball gloves, our ability is limited without God’s masterful hand working inside us. Jesus said that we can’t accomplish anything unless we are connected to our Heavenly Father. We may look productive on our own, but we have little hope of accomplishing what we were designed to do unless we stay connected to Him. We then trust God to use our gifts and talents according to His will. Our challenge is to allow God to keep His hand connected to our lives.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the simple lessons of youth. Thank You for helping me understand that when I allow You to be the hand in my glove, You can use me to accomplish great things. Amen.