Jon-Mical pitched last night in what will most likely be his last high school game. He wasn’t scheduled to start but it was a district tournament game and we got in trouble quick. Our starter was not at his best. He gave up a run and then loaded the bases with 2 outs in the first inning. So, Jon-Mical gets the call and walks to the mound in this important game with tons of pressure on him. The bases are full. There’s no room for a walk or a hit. He has to get this batter out.
He stepped on the mound. I prayed like crazy. He took a deep breath, threw a fastball in a great spot, got a weak fly ball and we were out of the inning. The fans went wild and PoppyC said, “Thank you, Jesus!” And Jon-Mical stayed in and pitched 6 more strong innings. That one pitch was not the end. It was just the end of the beginning.
Life is full of moments like that. The situation is tight, it feels like everything hangs on one decision, one conversation, one act of courage. We gather ourselves, we pray, we act—and sometimes, by God’s grace, we come through. But then comes the realization: that wasn’t the finish line. It was the doorway.
Restoring your marriage after surviving a crisis. Living one day at a time after breaking the chains of addiction. Rebuilding after financial collapse. Those aren’t single heroic moments—they’re first innings. The breakthrough matters, but what happens after that is where the real story lies.
The Bible keeps bringing us back to that steady, enduring faithfulness. Galatians 6:9 says, “Do not grow weary in doing good, because the harvest comes if we don’t give up.” Hebrews 12:1 talks about running with perseverance the race marked out for us. And 1 Corinthians 10:13 assures us that in every pressure-packed moment, God provides a way to stand firm—but we still have to keep stepping onto the mound.
That’s where your walk with God matters most. Not just in the crisis, but in the innings that come next. Here are some things that help:
Daily prayer.
Staying in the Word.
Honest community.
Consistent discipleship.
Those are the rhythms that keep your arm strong for the next batter, the next inning, the next season. (I’m loving this baseball metaphor.)
Jon-Mical’s story didn’t end last night. That game may have been the end of his high school career but he’s moving on to pitch in college. New team. New challenges. New pressure. But the same God that answered our prayer last night.
Early in Jon-Mical’s baseball career I told him about Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. For the Lord is with you wherever you go.” That’s from a story about finishing one chapter and transitioning to the next. The Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness and they are getting ready to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. They think it’s an ending but it’s really the beginning of their story. Jon-Mical had Joshua 1:9 printed on his bat. We saw his high school yearbook last night. His senior quote was Joshua 1:9 (Yep, I cried when I read it.)
That’s life. There are endings, but they’re rarely final. Often they are course corrections. Sometimes promotions. But always God takes what He’s built in one season and carries it into the next. The goal isn’t just to come through one big moment—it’s to be Jon-Mical, the person that stays “strong and courageous” and can be counted on to finish the game.
So when you find yourself on the mound, bases loaded, heart pounding—take the breath, say the prayer, throw the pitch. But don’t forget: that moment isn’t the whole story.
It’s just the end of the beginning.
(I wrote this sitting at what was Jon-Mical’s last game and just as I finished Jon-Mical came up for his last at bat. Man, I love that kid.)
