I remember a game in high school when it was my turn at bat, in a
situation when my team really needed me to get a hit. We had runners on
second and third with two outs, down by a run.
Let’s just say I
was not “Mr. Clutch.” I’m sure Coach Doug Long let me hit because the
only one left on the bench was our trainer, and for a while I think her
on-base percentage was about as good as mine. My teammates covered their
eyes.
The first pitch was a curve ball that I hit foul. Strike
one. The second pitch was high and tight and practically took my head
off, but the ump called it a strike anyway (would I exaggerate?). Strike
two.
In baseball vernacular, I was a sitting duck. And I was
about to become a dead duck. I had a million thoughts going through my
head, none of which were positive.
Just then Coach Long stepped
in. “Time, ump,” he said, motioning for me to come his way. We huddled a
few steps beyond the batter’s box, with his right arm over my left
shoulder. For a moment, the game stopped.
I expected to be told I
would be walking all the way home from Middletown if I didn’t come
through. Given my outlook, I expected I better find my walking shoes
real quick.
But he didn’t do that. Instead, he did just the
opposite. He spoke in a hushed, though certainly direct manner: “I’ve
seen you come through before,” he said. “Do it again right now. You can
do it.”
Instead of threatening me within an inch of my life, as I
probably deserved, he gave me credit. He replaced my negative thoughts
with positive ones.
…
…
IN THE 40 YEARS SINCE THAT day, I have
encountered no less than a hundred million other difficult situations.
The situation is tight, and it’s all up to me. When that happens, the
tape player inside my head will instantly go to a familiar refrain:
“What if this doesn’t work out? How are you going to get through this?
Why didn’t you prepare better so you didn’t get in this predicament? Why
don’t you just give up?”
Maybe I’m the only person who struggles
with those thoughts, but somehow I don’t think I am. For some reason,
we expect our lives to go smoothly and perfectly all the time, so that
when a problem arises we instinctively panic and think there is no way
out.
We make problems so personal, as though no one else ever has them.
We also make them pervasive, to the point they affect everything else.
Lastly, we regard our problems as permanent, like there is no tomorrow.
...
...
JESUS CAME TO bring peace and prosperity to our lives, both here on
Earth and afterward, but he never said we would live a life without
problems. Rather, he said just the opposite. He guaranteed we would have
them.
The secret to life is to expect them, maybe even embrace them, and know that all will be okay in the end.
That’s what we need to focus on when life throws us a curve. Call a
timeout. Turn off the television. Close the door. Walk into the sunset.
Or just shut your eyes.
Take a second to replace the negative
thoughts with some positive ones. Say to yourself, "I am not the only
one who struggles." Remember also, "Though I face this problem, there
are many other aspects of my life I am thankful for, and those can pull
me through this."
Lastly, say these words over and over, "No matter what, this storm will pass and the sun will one day shine again."
People other than Jesus have assured us of these principles for a very long time.
“Without patience, we will learn less in life. We will see less. We
will feel less. We will hear less. Ironically, ‘rush’ and ‘more’ usually
mean less.”
― Mother Teresa
“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”
— Martin Luther King
“Don’t tell people your problems. Eighty percent won’t care and the other twenty are glad you have them.”
— Lou Holtz
(Okay, I offered that one as a joke).
…
…
IN THAT GAME AGAINST Fenwick years ago, I stepped back into the
batter's box with renewed confidence, all thanks to Coach Long. I
figured the pitcher's next pitch would be another curve ball, low and
outside, and I was correct.
I slashed a hit to deep right center
field. The diamond did not have a home run fence, and from what I heard
later, the ball hit something and bounced hard past the outfielders.
Meanwhile, in the words of “Forrest Gump,” I was running-gah.
I
don’t think the outfielders ever found the baseball. For all I know, the
ball may still be out on University Boulevard, heading who knows where.
The official scorer called in a home run and three runs batted in,
though I think thought that sounded a little two glamorous. It wasn’t
pretty, but I’ll take it.
In the days, weeks and months ahead, I
will have plenty more opportunities to take a timeout, because I'm sure
I'll have more problems on my horizon to deal with, more than I wish to
have.
Wherever I am, whatever I am doing, I’ll call for a
timeout. I’ll remember the words of My Coach, the one here on Earth and
the who watches me from above.
“I’ve seen you come through before. Do it again right now. You can do it.”