Great Catch!
Insights From Vacation Bible School
The Power of Giving and Receiving
You Can’t Play Pitch and Catch by Yourself
“Okay, everybody, outside! Time to play ball!”
You’d have thought Miss Marla yelled “Fire!” instead.
We tore out the door like freedom itself waited on the playground.
Softball was my favorite. But not everyone shared my passion. Emily called it stupid, Buck tried to play while holding his toy tractor, and Eric slid into second like Ty Cobb, taking Keisha out in the process.
Then came the moment that taught me more than any game could.
With two outs and the winning run on the line, I threw the ball home—perfect aim, perfect timing—but the catcher, Big A.J., had wandered off to drink Kool-Aid.
No one was there to receive it.
The ball rolled past the plate, and the winning run scored.
Game over.
The Gift Needs a Receiver
It hit me later: you can’t play pitch and catch by yourself.
It takes both—a giver and a receiver—for anything meaningful to happen.
That’s true in baseball, and it’s even truer in life.
Some of us love to give, but struggle to receive. Others take easily, but rarely offer.
Maturity comes when we learn to do both.
Peter struggled with that, too. When Jesus knelt to wash his feet, Peter resisted: “You shall never wash my feet.” But Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Receiving isn’t a weakness—it’s humility.
It’s admitting we need what someone else has to offer.
The Intimacy of Grace
For years, I found it easier to give than to receive. Giving kept me in control.
But real intimacy comes when we let others—and God—serve us.
Receiving says, “I trust you.” It says, “I believe love can flow toward me, not just through me.”
Grace works the same way. We can’t earn it or return it; we can only receive it—then let it overflow to others.
You can’t throw grace and catch it, too.
You can only open your hands.
Reflection
Are you more comfortable giving or receiving? Why?
Where might God be inviting you to open your hands instead of holding control?
What relationships could deepen if you allowed grace to flow both ways?
Prayer