If you’ve ever watched a Little League baseball game, there’s always a guy on the bench waiting to play. He wants to hear the coach say, “Billy, get in the game.” No doubt he is nervous, but he’s thrilled when he hears those words.

Babe Ruth was one of the greatest baseball players ever. For many years he held the record for the most home runs in a professional career. Even though I’m not a big baseball fan, I remember he hit 714 homers.

But he also struck out a lot. I guess that’s because if you try to hit a home run when you swing the bat, you run a greater risk of missing the ball than if you simply try to make contact with it.

Recently, I read an interesting quote by Ruth. He said, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”

How many times did Ruth strike out when men were on base? When it happened, how many times were the fans angry? Did it occur to him that he would have been able to bring a teammate home if he’d tried to hit the ball for a single? Maybe he was hurting his team by always going for a home run.

But how many games did he win with a home run? He played on numerous championship teams. He struck out a lot, but he was a very successful ball player. I’m sure that every teammate was glad he was on his team.

I think Ruth’s quote came from his experiences. He knew that his style of play would cause him to strike out a lot. In those moments, he might feel disheartened. The fans might even accuse him of losing the game. Regardless, Ruth knew he could contribute to the success of the team. He had something to offer. It was a privilege to be in the game. That’s why millions of fans saw him playing.

As believers, we should have the same attitude about serving the Lord that Ruth had about playing baseball. We need to be in the game. In Luke 19:12-25, Jesus tells His disciples a parable about three servants, who represent believers. He commands them to serve Him until He comes. We could say He tells them to “get in the game.”

Two are excited to do so. But the third is like a player sitting on the bench. The Coach tells him to get into the game, but he doesn’t. When required to give an account of himself, He tells the Lord that he was afraid (v 20). He didn’t think he would be successful. He thought he would fail. If we put it in baseball terms, he thought he’d strike out.

It is sad. He had the privilege of being in the game the Lord put him in. But he wouldn’t even get off the bench. He had eternal life, but he lost the joy of serving the Lord and others.

Would he have made mistakes if he had gone into the game? Absolutely. There would have been times he struck out. But there would have been other times when he hit a home run. The Lord knows we are not perfect.

We would all be sad if we saw a Little Leaguer too afraid to play in the game. If you are a believer, the Lord tells you to get in the game. It is a little scary, and we might be nervous. We know we are going to make mistakes. Our team, the church, needs us. May the fear of striking out never keep us from running onto the field.