Apprentice 2 Jesus

What a blessed New Year!

As always, so many people have New Year’s Resolutions. Those are things we make and hardly ever have any intention of keeping.

A conversation this past week gave me an illustration of how we can all keep in “shape” so to speak.

I call it “Up the Middle”. At least that is what I am calling it right now.

The illustration I thought of is this: In baseball (of course!) the strength of a team is said to be found “up the middle”. If they have a good catcher, good shortstop and second baseman and a good centerfielder, they are in good shape. Many years ago, I can relate this to the Kansas City Royals (my favorite hometown team growing up). Darrell Porter was catching, Frank White was at second, Freddie Patek at short and Willie Wilson (and Amos Otis before him) in center. A GREAT combo up the middle. Frank White was an amazing second baseman. When Willie Wilson took over in center, he was the fastest human being I had ever seen.

Up the middle was strong for those teams.

Up the middle is our strength. As I develop these thoughts, it begins with “Heart, Mind, Midsection”. Not very glamorous, I know.

Heart — Our spiritual person.
Mind — Our intellect.
Midsection — Our bodies.

In the conversation I had with a family member I learned that when our abs are strong our body can be strong. Good abs are building blocks to a healthy body. That’s why I say midsection.

When these three things (heart, mind and midsection) are strong, we are strong people. When our spirit is fed, we are growing eternally. When our mind is fed, we are growing mentally and that is so important. When our bodies are taken care of, we are able to function better in this world.

How am I “up the middle”? How are YOU “up the middle”?