This is a story that begins on a high school softball field nearly sixty years ago.
But make no mistake. This isn’t some old story about some old game. It’s a story about anyone who’s ever felt like she was too broken, too battered, too weak, or too tired to go on.
So maybe, then, this is a story about all of us.
It was June of 1960. A big softball tournament was a day away. The pitcher was a young and spunky brunette named Joyce Dukes. (Yep, that’s my aunt.)
Well, she wasn’t my aunt yet. I wasn’t even a twinkle in anyone’s eye in 1960. Joyce was a high school senior. The day before that softball tournament, she was in a car accident that fractured her left arm. Joyce’s coach showed up at the hospital to find his star pitcher with a seven-pound cast on her arm. Let’s be frank. She was more than his star pitcher. She was the only pitcher on that small softball team from a tiny town in southern Iowa.
Joyce knew what her coach was thinking, and before he had much to say about it, she blurted it out, “I’m still playing. I’m still pitching. My left arm is fractured, but I pitch with my right.”
The very next day, Joyce was on the mound with a ball in her hand. She threw out a pitch, and it wasn’t long before she struck out a batter. And then another and another.
Before the game was over, she struck out seventeen batters in all.
There’s more. Instead of using a designated hitter, Joyce went to the plate to bat for herself, swinging with her one good arm. It must have been like a scene straight out of a movie, when that one-handed batter hit a two-run homer to win the game.
Her athletic feat didn’t make the big screen, but Sports Illustrated picked up the story. Recently, I displayed a copy of that little magazine article on my desk.
Why?
Because I needed a reminder that it’s possible to do hard things as a mom, a writer, a daughter, a wife, a dreamer. I needed to know it’s possible to stand up when I feel like sitting down, to show up when I want to disappear, to swing for the fences when I feel like I’m doomed to strike out.
And maybe you need to know it too.
Maybe you need your inner Joyce to whisper in your ear. Her spunky self is calling out the biggest lie that keeps you from doing what you are called to do. Here’s the lie: you are too weak for this.
Yeah, you may be a little bit broken, but you’ve got some fight left in you. That fight has a name: the Holy Spirit. Because of Him, you are stronger than you know.
When I’m feeling a little bit broken and a whole lotta weak, these are the words that are saving me: “Give God your weakness. He’ll give you His strength.”
Do we really have any idea the treasure we hold inside of us? Do we really have any idea what we are carrying around in these fragile, weak bodies of ours?
The same, overcoming spirit that made Christ obedient, even unto death on the cross, lives within us!
We are not a powerless people. We have more power than we can even fathom.
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.
Romans 8:11 (NLT)
I think about how more than 2,000 years ago, people believed so strongly in that power that they would touch Paul’s handkerchiefs and be healed (Acts 19:12). People brought their sick people along the roadsides, on the chance that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by, so they too would be healed. (Acts 5:15).
It’s our turn. We are the generation of people called to do more than stand in awe at the empty tomb. We are called to believe that this power is real! We are called to move, to pitch, to swing for the fences, to preach, to serve, to minister, to pray, to take risks, to believe this truth: the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.
Head to the plate, baby. You’ve got a game to play.
Give God your weakness. He’ll give you His strength. - @dukeslee: Click To Tweet Leave a Comment
Our weakness for His strength!
Our sin for His righteousness!
Thanks for putting the power of God on display in this wonderful and inspiring story!
Thanks, Michele! I didn’t know about this story until relatively recently, and I just had to share! It’s a rich metaphor.
Amen! Your words and message speak/spoke directly to me today so much so they feel like God directly answering me. Thank you!
I love knowing that these words came at the right time for you, Jas.
Thank you for these words. I needed this today.
Me too!
So happy to hear that this story spoke to you, Kimberly and Macy.
AMEN!!! Just heard some giants fall!! This conqueror is on the move. A wonderful story to start the day! Thank you for sharing your Aunt’s story.
Yes, to the falling giants! I am so proud of my aunt. I can’t believe I only recently came to learn about this story.
Thank you Jennifer. Your story greatly inspired me this morning. We have the Holy Spirit working in us.
Blessings
So glad this encouraged you, Dee.
Wow! My daughter, who is in her first year of college, and I just had a conversation about just that yesterday. She feels God calling her into nursing as a major but lately she has had people in her life question her choice causing her to feel inadequate and to question herself. These are other students that are questioning her. Your post is timely and I am going to forward it to her. Thank you for sharing. I know that it will impact her just as it has me.
Sometimes the voices of doubt come from within. That’s hard enough! Even harder, when outside voices seem to affirm our deepest insecurities. I hope she can work past that and do what God is calling her to do. Only SHE can hear God speaking into her calling.
Jennifer,
“Give God your weakness and He’ll give you His strength.” Amen! I just wrote a blog post this week on resurrection power being our “Super Power” – in response to all the super hero powers being touted by Hollywood. I find that I am most often writing to myself. It’s been a rough few months and I needed the reminder that I have the Holy Spirit in me and with that I have the same exact power that allowed Christ to rise from the dead and defeat sin and death on the cross. But, how often do I call upon that power? I am limited only by my finite mind that can’t grasp the awesomeness of the power God gives us. Another favorite verse of mine along with this is: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14). So thankful God gives us His strength in our weakness and He will go to battle for us, if we just be still. I will think of your aunt as I quit placing limitations on what God can do through me. Thanks for this much needed reminder this am! Love your storytelling that highlights truth!
Blessings dear friend,
Bev xo
ps. How’s the book doing?? 🙂
Bev: you are a valiant victorious warrior – I am so inspired by your persistent perseverance and trust in Him. It reminds me of Gideon when he, in his weak and vulnerable state was greeted with “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour” God was telling Gideon who “he is” even when he couldn’t fathom it. Gideon rose to the occasion of mighty warrior.
God has also clothed me in that Gorgeous scripture given to you: ” the Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still.” Is it not incredible that God gives us a “scheduled timeout” as He graciously fights for us. And we are the benefactors of His Grace. Bev: May His Spirit abound in You so that each victory is experienced like whipped cream in many Divine desserts you never expected! Recall: He guides us to “be still” and then …He gives us a Divine dessert of victory to taste-test. Bless you as you continue to persevere in Spirit Strength . You are inspiring Bev. And The Spirit will continue to use you to inspire others. HUG.
Janine,
Thank you so much for your sweet words, they truly bless me <3 I had a counselor that once told me that if "Perseverance" was a class in school, I'd have gotten an A+. None of that is my doing, but the Holy Spirit working in me to enable me to hold onto God's righteous right hand. He has seen me through so many valleys and has never forsaken me so I keep continuing to try to trust. So true is the scripture, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere." (Psalm 84:10). God bless you for taking the time to encourage me.
Have a blessed day….
((Hugs)),
Bev
The Exodus verse is a favorite of mine as well, Bev. Thanks for your kind remarks about my post today. I’m so glad it encouraged you.
Jennifer:
How incredibly inspirational and sweet this story is. My son plays a high level of rep baseball so I have been to hundreds upon hundreds of baseball ⚾️ games and have the mileage on my car to document it!
Your aunt Joyce had “vigour that leads to victory”…she didn’t see herself as a victim, but as a resilient warrior who rises to the occasion. She didn’t let pity or pain prevent her from tasting victory through gritty perseverance.
What a beautiful example she is to you – what a great family legacy of grit and strength she left behind.
I am truly inspired.
Your words “The same overcoming spirit that made Christ obedient, even unto death on a cross LIVES …within [me]” will grace he pages of my journal. Break out the crayons and vibrant colours!
May your words resonate personally to all reading this – may we go to the Lord with …the impossible task, the impossible circumstance, the impossible person, the impossible dream”. May we trade our weakness for His Strength and then hear Him say: “Come out of that tomb. RISE.” (As he said to Lazarus and to shocked and amazed audiences. May what “He does in us” be celebrated by onlookers in our life! Just as Joyce’s phenimal feat was admired in that game and those circumstances.
Jennifer: Your words will grace the pages of my journal but mainly,they will be etched in my heart – as I am facing a lot of things that could threaten to become obstacles. But …Christ’s Power turns obstacles into …opportunities for overcoming.
Hooray!
“The same power that made Christ obedient , even unto death on a cross, LIVES in [all of us]”
May we get in the game, stay in the game (through abiding in Christ) and press on to victory over every defeat that ever tried to make us obedient. We make all our thoughts obedient to Christ. Christ is the stronger and strongest. With His unchallenged strength, “if He is for us, nothing can be against us”.
Let’s stay in the Heaven-on-earth-ball-game where strike-outs don’t actually exist if we are coached by the Living Coach, the Spirit of God. He only ever equips us to hit “Homeruns for Heavens Glory”…and we get to experience the elation of exquisite Spirit Victory “With Him”. He makes us honourary members of His Dream Team and we are never benched. He has something Glorious to do and achieve in each of us.
Awesome! yes…let’s “PLAY BALL”.
I was so inspired by my Aunt Joyce’s story when I learned of it recently. It’s really made me think about the strength that we do have within us, but how so many self-doubts and insecurities get in the way. Christ’s power is available to us, and I know that I don’t always lean on it (or always believe that it will be available for me). I’m daily learning to step out more and trust in Him, rather than my own strength.
Yes Jennifer…I can resonate but now I am turning a swerving corner in my spiritual life with the Holy Spirit. I have been praying the scripture powerfully and if I didn’t believe before, I would say “I believe help my unbelief” but now I just ask the Spirit to infuse into my Spirit the Power to believe as I say out loud any scripture God is calling me to connect to Him with. It has been astounding how that has transformed me from “glory to glory” and I feel as though I have never experienced the spiritual exhilaration in changes. My own “internal changes” of mind and thought – nothing to do with circumstances. It was so great that your Aunt Joyce won the game and that makes life more exciting. But I am finding that even in unchanged circumstances, God’s transformation in my character or His Spirit gifts that He is adorning me with – – those are the most sublime things. It is exciting. Thank you again for your “persevering forth” message. May God give you grit and strength and courage and confidence while He brings you from “glory to Glory”. Blessings Jennifer
I love this and needed this today. Thank you Jennifer.
I would love to have seen than softball game – what a girl and woman you aunt must be.
I’m off to listen to my inner Joyce and let His power make up for my lacking today.xx
I’m so glad this post spoke to you, Niki. If you knew my Aunt Joyce, you’d see that same spunk and spirit even today. She’s an amazing person.
Oh my goodness did I need this!!! I did not even KNOW that I needed it… lol Isn’t is amazing how the Lord works?? Sometimes when the Lord calls me to something, I just take a deep breath, put my head down and plow through it… lol This was that ,”You CAN do this daughter!” from God that He does not have to give, but chooses to anyway because He knows that I need it. He IS my Father after all!! 😉 I am in a season of being called out of my comfy place and into a place of greater impact and interaction with people. I’ve been a stay at home homeschooling mama for the last 12 years… here and there I have gone to work part time, usually around the holidays. It always went abysmally. Hideously even. Over the last several months I have been HEALED of two major things that have plagued my life since I was a child. I finally feel like a New Creation! Just over the last three days, I have been feeling a nudge from the Spirit to apply for a part time job with our local Lifeway store. My sister friend from church is the assistant manager there and she told me to go for it! I am excited, and nervous all at once! There is a fear attached to this that I am fighting and walking forward in faith in. My life is SO different than it was 5 years ago…. and I know that since God has called me to this (and confirmed it three different times) that He has already made provision. Not provision like material things, but provision of comfort and strength from Him in the area of my fear. We are in THAT season, the one of stretching and growing into the ministry work that He always intended for us to have. Thank you Jennifer for this message this morning!! It spurred me on and stoked that fire that the Lord had placed in me already about this!
I love this truth about the power within us. This subject has been in my thoughts lately as I apply it to my life. I love your writing style too. Thank you!
Love this, Jennifer! Of course, I know her as Joyce Lee, but wow! What a trooper she was and is. I saw some of her spunk real-time of late, when she went relentlessly to bat for Caryl in prayer and would not give up. I saw it in you, and then I saw HIS power heal your precious mom when she was down and nearly out. I saw His power in her too. The Dukes do not give up on life, because they do not give up on Jesus, and He never gives up on them (or us or me). Praise God! When He is strong, we don’t care if we’re weak. I’ve dropped off the face of the world in a number of ways (most recently, when my computer crashed three weeks ago, and all my writing, emails, and address book seemed doomed). Talk about a feeling of helplessness (no, not in the vast scheme of life, but my brains and contacts, built over a lifetime, were in there). I don’t mean sacrilege here, but I did pray God would resurrect my stuff. God finally sent a wonderful computer expert who worked brilliantly with us. God gave me that resurrection. Anyway, for a number of reasons, it was important that I read your essay today. I need to get step up to the plate and not pull a “Casey at the bat” by default. So glad to be among the living again, and to get a strong, bracing dose of courage-laced-with-Christ’s-power from my dear friend Jennifer. Still recommending IAUC at every turn! You’re wonderful.
Love
Lynn
Actually, it’s not Joyce Lee. That’s my mother-in-law. Joyce Dukes is my aunt. 🙂 But Joyce Lee definitely has a lot of spunk too!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Lynn. You’ve been such a dear friend and prayer warrior for our family. Love you!
Oh my gosh, Sister… PREACH!
I love this. I am constantly forgetting that the resurrection power of God lives in me, even though I “know” it. When I look in the mirror and see a worn-down, tired momma, I feel like the Holy Spirit has taken a vacation or something. LOL. Or when a dream that I’m pursuing seems so far out of reach, especially with my crazy life right now. I can easily think, “Maybe I’m dreaming too big. Maybe I’m mishearing Jesus. Maybe I’m not enough…” But God steps in, speaks life into my soul, and helps me walk to the plate. 😉 Over and over again.
Thank you, Jennifer. These words were exactly what my heart needed to hear today!
Stepping up to the plate with you,
Becky Beresford
Jennifer, I loved and needed this today, as well. Praise God for His perfect timing and wisdom! The story of your aunt resonated with me because I, too, come from a small town in southern Iowa, and was much like her. There isn’t much that would ever have prevented me from performing in a game of softball or basketball! We are tough, hardy, gritty people in Iowa, and we “just do what we have to do.” My nephew broke his arm in a football game, but he was back in the next game, wearing his cast! God has always been with us and blessed us for generations in my family. Now in my latter days, it is frustrating when my strength is declining, and many days it is difficult to find the motivation to tackle hard projects and tasks. But God always gives me strength, motivation or courage to do whatever I face. “Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me”!! Besides scripture, I also love to use great hymns to remind me of Father’s goodness, faithfulness, grace and mercy. May He continue to bless and guide you in your service to Him! And remember, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind; is there anything too hard for me?” Praise God for His lovingkindness is from everlasting to everlasting!
Jennifer,
Your aunt had spunk not seen of late. This generation too easily gives up on themselves. Thinking they can’t do it. No we mere humans can’t do some things, but with God ALL things are possible. We must remind ourselves daily that the Holy Spirit’s power is working in us to will us toward God’s destiny. Life these days gets super busy & we have many demands made on us. Lysa Terkeurst said it best in her book The Best Yes: “Saying yes to everything won’t make me Wonder Woman it will make me a worn out woman. We need to seek God’s wisdom & power to make right choices. There is an old song “The Battle Belongs to the Lord”. That should be the heart cry of anyone going through trials or hardships. He will fight the battle for us-we just need to be still & follow His leading.
Blessings 🙂
I love that Lisa TK quote, and I remember it from my own reading the book as well. Thanks for the reminder, Beth.
Oh, Jennifer – I needed this reminder today. I feel broken, bruised, forgotten…wondering how long this trial will last. I’m claiming the power to step up to the plate today, in the name of Jesus!
Thank you. I needed this. He is more than able
This was inspiring to read, thank-you for sharing your Aunt’s story with us Jennifer.
Have a blessed day all,
Penny
It was my pleasure to share, Penny. Thank you.
You spoke to me today!!! This is just spot on. I am not powerless. I have more power than I can fathom. Yes!!! It is time to play ball. Thanks Jennifer!
So glad these words spoke to you, Osham. Thanks for being here!
Oh, Jennifer! You make me want to find a bat and swing for the fences. Even more, your words make me want to LIVE like the Jesus-raising Spirit is within me. My weakness ain’t got nothin’ on God’s greatness, on His ability to powerfully work in me. And you! And all our sisters here! Can you tell you’ve ignited a spark of spunk in my heart that would make Aunt Joyce proud? So grateful for you and this timely word. Thank you, friend. xx
Aw, Thank you, Becky! I appreciate your kind remarks.
Your aunt’s incredible story WOULD make a great movie! And what a powerful lesson you gleaned from her experience. Praise God for his power within us, enabling us to be and do more than we ever imagined possible. AND, we’re on the winning team–guaranteed. Thank you, Jennifer, for cheering us on!
I totally agree! Thanks, Nancy. xo