Thursday, July 26, 2007

To The Core

I grew up a city kid. As typical Brooklynites my brothers and I loved sports. From sun up to sun down we’d spend our days around the corner on East 34th street playing stick ball or street football. I was 12 when my parents purchased that house - Dad still lives there. I can remember exploring the house with my brothers the day we moved in. When we reached the garage it was like finding Ali Baba’s treasure! We were overjoyed to find boxes and boxes filled with little league baseball equipment. We had uniforms, balls, bats, bases, mitts and even catcher’s gear. For three pre-teen boys it was like hitting the lottery.

I remember this one particular day, my brother Robert and I were playing catch in the alley back behind our house. We took one of the brand new baseballs from our treasure trove and practiced taking grounders on asphalt for hours. It was great fun. After many hours of fun filled abuse this once shinny, spotless and slick baseball had given up the ghost. The ball’s cover was torn revealing it’s stringy guts. I couldn’t have been more excited! I had to discover what was in the center of a baseball.

I sat on the floor, right there in our back alley and furiously tore the remnants of that poor tattered ball apart until I found the small, hard, red core at it’s center.

Hmmm… the core, what’s at the core? I’ve been thinking about that lately.

Sometimes I feel like that abused baseball… tattered, torn and well used with my guts hanging out. Maybe times like these are the right time to inspect my personal core and see what’s really in there?

If I peel back all my layers what would I discover at my core? Beyond the physical part of my nature, beyond my education and experiences, beyond my titles, positions and responsibilities, beyond my relationships… what’s really in there? What is my small, hard, red core composed of?

I see Passion

Passion for God ~ Passion for People ~ and Passion for Freedom.

What’s at your core?

© Tom Zawacki 2007

10 comments:

  1. Core passion...hmmm. Passion is one of those things you can't fake. It has to be in your core. I truly am thankful for the passion I have found in Jesus. Nothing else compares. All my other passions stem from that core.

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  2. Passion is a great thing to have as your core, but I also see love surrounding that passion. I loved this piece, especially the memories of your childhood.

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  3. passion for god and freedom? those are at my core too!! go figure! I think we all have them, they just need to be dusted off in some folks! - maybe play a little street ball for a while; field some grounders...

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  4. I love this post. God has been speaking to me in the past week about this exact topic. When all the external stuff is gone, what remains? Mine is relationship! Namely, relationship with Him and the relationships of all shapes and sizes He's put in my life and in my heart. Thank you for this post ...

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  5. Good post. I'm wondering if it's only when we allow ourselves to be used by God that we are able to find what it is we are made of.

    There is mostly cotton candy at my core.

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  6. Anonymous6:54 PM

    I bet my core is made of chocolate!

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  7. Great post! I loved hearing about your memories. My core is probably relationship...with God first and family next... If I lost all else that would be what mattered the most...

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  8. Very thought provoking and I am sure I can hear your accent when I read your post. I am about to turn in to bed and I am going to think what is my red ball. I know I am passionate, which is not always a good thing around here. lol However, I am passionate about serving my Lord, He has and is my Father in this life. I need Him.

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  9. Great analogy! I did the same thing to a golf ball when I was young.

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  10. THis is a very fun story! And at my core...I would have to say there's a sensitive caring heart. I could almost see your childhood life here being made into a movie...Nadine was right, it is a great post!

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