Something To Learn

  In life there are lessons that I believe we learn along the way. There’s things that we are taught, and some things we learn the hard way. Well between my life and baseball, I would say I learned many lessons and some of the things I have learned even on the field have helped me with my spiritual walk. 

  There’s a quote in baseball that says, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” And I guess this quote has a lot of ways you can think of that relates to the ways you have to approach this game mentally.

  In baseball, as I’ve mentioned before in some earlier posts. It is a game of failure. To be great at this game you succeed only 3/10 times, meaning you fail the other 7 times. But in that same breath, we focus so much on the failing times and that is what drives us players crazy. We wish so much that we could fix those other 7 times to somehow make the first number 4 or maybe 5 out of 10. However, now when we think about it over the course of a full season or career. Those numbers can make our minds seem like it’s doing spins. We call those spins, slumps, and when anyone is in a slump it seems like you’re never going to get out. However, the player doing the opposite and is on a streak, that dude seems as light as a feather and does not have a care in the world. But when we show up to the field each day, the perspective we all strive for is trying to not show if we are 10/10 or 0/10 in our attitude and find a way to be positive. To see the joys of the moment. Maybe if you are following a bit, you can see where I’m going with this.

  Our life is very similar. One of the biggest lessons baseball has taught me in my spiritual journey is that you can never be too good or bad to talk to our Heavenly Father. We ALL need help. We ALL need guidance. God does not care if you have made mistake after mistake, or somehow want to call yourself perfect (even when you are not). God has an amazing gift for you and His love and grace are free. 

  Just to be real with you all. I have made mistakes. I have made decisions in my life that have really effected me. There have been moments where my faith has brought me to my knees crying out to God. Just like my baseball career, there have been moments that have also brought me to wonder if I want to continue playing. Faith and baseball have that similarity to me that there have been moments where I am just looking for guidance. Looking for help...

  Baseball and faith have a community that I desperately needed to grow. In baseball you are surrounded by your teammates. Every single day. And it is in those times that the people around you can really play a role in your mentality. Just like in our faith, you need a supportive community of believers, of mentors, of role models. It’s these people that are going to watch and help you grow. Some may even call these people - accountability partners. But this community, small group, whatever you want to call them. This circle of people will be the core group that helps you become the best version of yourself. They are going to call you out when things seem to be going a little “off”. They are going to praise you when things in your life are going well. But most importantly - they are going to help you, pray for you, and be there to lean on when it seems like things are at rock bottom. I will just say this. If I didn’t have my small circle of friends, and my journal in those times I have reached rock bottom. I am not sure where I would have been in my life right now. But there is always up. There is room to grow. There is always something to take away.

  So how do we grow? How do we as believers, we as ball players, or maybe just as someone who is looking for help...how do we build that support?

  For me, it was through baseball and friends that I already had in my life. People who have been pouring into me for years! And along the way, new and some more incredible people have been added to my circle. God has shown me His incredible love through so many people, which is why I strive to be just that for someone else. Strive every day to love your neighbor as yourself. It’s in those moments you find that conversations you are having, the connections you are building. These are some of the best things you can do to grow, and the best part is, God designed it that way. So when we grow not just ourselves but with others too. We all might just have something to learn...