The Home Run Life - Second Base

I love mankind, it’s people I can’t stand.  Linus

Have you ever heard someone say, “Life would be great if it weren’t for people.”? Or “This job would be awesome if it weren’t for the people.” While meant to be tongue-in-cheek, the reality is that a Google search of “Winning with Others” brings up books, blogs, tweets, top 10 lists, charts and graphs with tips and tricks on how to influence others. Search results declare “Top 25 Ways to Win Others Over”, and a few entries down, “6 Ways to Master the Art of WOO (Winning Others Over)” and countless other entries that all...
have one thing in common: people.  This weekend, Jason talked about the best of times and the worst of times. What are some of your best moments? What brought you great joy or meaning? Was it your wedding, the birth of your child or possibly a milestone such as running your first 5K without passing out halfway through? Now think about the experiences that brought you the most pain. What have you gone through that carries disappointment or sorrow? Was it a betrayal, loss of a job or even a loved one? What one thing do all of these have in common? People. Life’s greatest and worst moments involve other people and that’s why second base is so significant.

As the people base, or community base, it can be muddy and messy because we all are muddy and messy people. We are all imperfect with issues we need to work through; however, it’s how we deal with them that determines our success or sorrow at second base and beyond. Remember the Home Run Life is about following God’s pattern for living a successful life. It all begins at home plate, our relationship with Him. Once we are connected with Him, He then helps us get to first base by developing our character. Then we can move on to second base where the key is an attitude of humility and a willingness to change. Our relationships are either healthy or unhealthy, most often based on those two components. So how do we intentionally build healthy ones?

In this week’s LivingItOut, we’re going to unpack God’s principles about relationships with others because it’s at second base where we can start to see God working in and through us. We can begin to put into practice all of the things He has taught us at home plate and first base. And the beauty is that it is not for our own gain, but we do it for others. Why is this so important? 

Philippians 2:1-2 reminds us of the things that define success at second base: “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.” Kevin Myers, author of Home Run and pastor of 12Stone Church, says it this way, “In baseball, they say when you’re on second base, you are in scoring position. This can also be said of the people base [second] in God’s game plan for living.”

Caring about others, pursuing healthy relationships, being more loving and giving, even forgiveness are all a part of being successful at second base. So maybe instead of quipping that life would be so much easier without people, we will be the kind of people who say, “without people, what kind of life would it be?”

THIS WEEK’S STUDY IS ABOUT WINNING WITH OTHERS GOD’S WAY , TO LIVE THE HOME RUN LIFE.

MONDAY – Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds

Big Point: Hurting people hurt people. 

Winning at second base begins with admitting that we are [all] imperfect people who have some kind of emotional wounds that need to be healed.

— Kevin Myers

Many people have learned that “hurting people hurt people”, but when Kevin Myers heard that phrase 25 years ago, it was revolutionary to him. He realized that coming from a broken home had done damage to him emotionally and that he, in turn, was damaging other people because of it. He recognized that without addressing his own issues, he could not expect to have healthy relationships with others.

Jacob’s family in the Old Testament is a perfect example of dysfunction and what can happen if it goes unchecked. Jacob was rich and had many sons, but they were all broken. Jacob’s dysfunction came from greed and pride, which he passed onto Joseph, whose ego almost got him killed by his older brothers. Worldly success and God’s favor could not heal Jacob’s pain of broken relationships. Years later, they were all still greatly affected by that “elephant in the room”. Until the family recognized its issues, talked about the greed and pride that was causing so much pain (the elephant) and were willing to put each other first, they could not be healed.

   The good news is that, although our brokenness may create havoc in our relationships, God gives us grace through Jesus. He is our model for healthy relationships and through Him we receive space and time to grow. Time only heals when we spend time actually healing. When we don’t, it’s the elephant that does all the growing instead of us.

READ and THINK… What does the Bible say?

1. In this passage, Paul gives the most compelling reason for us to model Jesus’ example—because Jesus did it for us.

Question: How are we to act because of Christ’s love for us?

Philippians 2:1-2 (New International Version)

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

 Answer: 

2. In the next verse, Paul gives some concrete examples of how to live out that picture of love.

Question: What is the key to becoming united with others?

Philippians 2:3-4 (New International Version)

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Answer: 

3. Paul prays this prayer for the Romans about the gift of patience and the love we received from God, reminding us that we should then pass it on to our brothers and sisters. The more we receive love and patience from Him, the more we are able to give the same to others.

Question: Why might Paul have prayed for endurance and encouragement for people to become like-minded?

Romans 15:5 (New International Version)

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.

Answer:

LIVE… What will you do now?

How did the phrase “hurting people hurt people” affect you when you first heard it? Why do you think it affected you that way?

What are some of your past wounds that time has not healed? Do you think they could be healed if you started taking steps to heal them? What might that look like?

How can the encouragement of being united in Christ help you to show love to others? In what ways can you show that love?

PRAY… God, what do you want me to know and do?

Give thanks to your Heavenly Father for being a God of kindness and mercy. Ask Him to help you mirror those qualities in all of your relationships and to provide healing in any area so that you can love others fully.

Throughout this week’s LivingItOut, all quotes are from “Home Run”  by Kevin Myers and John C. Maxwell unless otherwise noted.