Day 5: Lessons From The Batters Box

When my oldest son Jacob was almost 9, he switched sports.  After playing soccer since he was 3 years old, he made the move to baseball.  He played a season of t-ball at 4 and a season of machine pitch at 4, but he barely remembers it.  The 9-10 year old league is kid-pitch, and these kids were good.

After the first few practices and games, Jacob expressed how scared he was when up to bat. “Mom, these pitchers are pretty unpredictable.  I mean they don’t always throw the ball right over the plate.  And they throw fast.”

He was in an uncomfortable spot.  A new sport among many who’ve played for several years. Lack of faith in the kids pitching to him.  And insecurity over his abilities compared to other players.

Midway through the season he said, “Mom, I figured something out.  If the pitcher thinks I’m scared, he knows he can strike me out.  But if he thinks I’m a good batter, it will make him a little nervous.  I want the pitcher to think I’m a good batter.  So I dig my back heel in the dirt, I grip the bat as hard as I can, I put a determined look on my face, and I look with a mean face right at the ball.”

Guess what started happening?  He began hitting the ball.  Rather than cowering in fear and stepping out of the box, he dug his heel in and faced his fear head on.  And he started hitting the ball.  It made all the difference in the world.

I love this picture.  When I am exiting what feels comfortable, what if I dig my heel in, shake my fear, and look it right in the eyes?  Imagine what God could do with that?

[box] This is Day 5 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]