In the Gymnasium of Life 
by Becky Rule

Imagine standing in a gymnasium. You have a baseball in your hand, which you throw – hard -- at the solid cement block wall about fifteen feet in front of you. What happens? The wall remains hardened and immovable with no obvious impact or effect other than the echo of contact. The ball is deflected, bouncing back toward you with a force and speed nearly as great as what you exerted in throwing it.

Next, imagine taking the same baseball and throwing it from approximately the same distance at a limp t-shirt hanging on a hand railing at the end of the wooden bleachers. What happens? The ball’s force catches the shirt and wings it from where it was draped. In the end, we find both shirt and ball together in a crumpled heap, wrapped up and entangled, completely immobilized on the shiny floor.

Now imagine throwing the hardball a third time. Aim it at the section of the gym wall where a padded mat about three inches thick has been installed for the protection of athletes during sporting events. Again, what happens? The ball solidly connects with the mat, making an obvious “thud” upon impact, and drops to the floor and rolls away. The mat fully accepts and absorbs the blow, allowing it to have an effect without being carried away by it.

These three images answered my yearning to clearly understand what a healthy response – JESUS’ response – looks like when the “stuff” of life is thrown at us. Do you see Jesus in the way a padded mat absorbs the force of a baseball? Throughout the gospels, we watch Jesus receive blow upon blow only to see each one fall in front of Him after impact. He is strong but not hardened, affected but not crumpled or immobilized.

That in itself is amazing, but I also find it striking that His responses do not vary based on the type of impact. Both positive and negative instances are received with equal weight and attention. In hardship or ease, whether receiving criticism or encouragement, the heart of His response was always the same: to glorify God by yielding, letting it fall, responding in love and truth, and moving on. What strength! What humility! Each time, He overcame the situation’s pain and/or potential distraction to remain focused upon the Father.

In pride we will either harden or crumple, but in the strong humility of Jesus we have the power to absorb and respond with love. All praise and glory be to God for His marvelous ways and the rich provision with which to walk them!

Verses for Reflection

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7 NASB) All the people were so stunned that they kept saying to each other, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He tells even the unclean spirits what to do, and they obey him!" At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee… When evening came, after the sun had set, people started bringing to him all those who were sick or possessed by demons. In fact, the whole city gathered at the door. He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. However, he wouldn't allow the demons to speak because they knew who he was. In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went to a deserted place and prayed there. Simon and his companions searched diligently for him. When they found him, they told him, "Everyone's looking for you." He said to them, "Let's go to the neighboring towns so that I can preach there, too. For that is why I came out here." (Mark 1:27-28, 32-38 ISV)

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, "Why this waste? "For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. "For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. "For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her." (Matthew 26:6-13 NASB)

They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. They said, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere and that you teach the way of God truthfully. You don't favor any individual, for you pay no attention to external appearance. So tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" But Jesus recognized their wickedness and said, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." They brought him a denarius. Then he asked them, "Whose face and name is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." So he said to them, "Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard this, they were amazed. Then they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:16-22 ISV)

The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!" When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee." And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He *said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN." (Matthew 21:6-13 NASB)

Then the Jews said to him, "What sign can you show us as authority for doing these things?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will rebuild it." The Jews said, "This sanctuary has been under construction for forty-six years, and you're going to rebuild it in three days?" But the sanctuary he was speaking about was his own body. After he had been raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. So they believed the Scripture and the statement that Jesus had made. While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, many people believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. Jesus, however, did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and didn't need anyone to tell him what people were like. For he himself knew what was in every person. (John 2:18-25 ISV)

"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. (John 17:15-18 NASB)