All three of my sons play baseball.\u00a0 I must admit that as a father who loves the game of baseball, I really love watching them play the game and get enjoyment out of it.\u00a0 As with anything done by humans, there are going to be mistakes made.\u00a0 Both of the teams my sons play on have been on the wrong end some calls.\u00a0 It is very frustrating, especially when a call leads directly to a loss.\u00a0 I have to admit there is at least part of me that wants to argue with the umpire.\u00a0 But thankfully God has put His hand over my mouth every time, because in the end it simply isn’t worth it.\u00a0 It’s not worth it because the umpire isn’t going to change his call.\u00a0 It’s not worth it because if you make the umpire upset, he can make life even more difficult for the team.\u00a0 Finally it’s not worth it because it sets a bad example for the kids.\u00a0 If my boys see me getting upset and being disrespectful to the umpire, then they are going to think that it is ok for them to do it as well.\u00a0 Or they will grow up playing ball and always blaming the umpire when they lose or something doesn’t go there way.\u00a0 Here is a truth (although very difficult to admit), the umpires get more right than they get wrong.\u00a0 There are lessons that can be learned through these times.<\/p>\n
Although I would not have admitted this in my playing days or even when I was a little younger, the truth is it is just a game.\u00a0 I’m not getting paid to be out there, my kids aren’t getting paid to play the game, and the Chicago Cubs are not going to hire me as their next manager (although I think I could do as good of a job as anyone they have).\u00a0 The game of baseball is fun, it is exercising, it is relationship building, and it is teaching how to be a part of a team and working together.\u00a0 Here is the biggest lesson that I am learning and I hope to instill in all of my children.\u00a0 You can’t control most of what happens in your life, but you can control how you react to it and how you deal with it.\u00a0 The Bible is full of stories of people who got the short end of the stick, yet in the end they actually benefited from it.\u00a0 It doesn’t make it easier to handle in the moment, but when you look back at the event and where you have come, you can see God working through the situation, and that is what is important.\u00a0 That is what develops and strengthens our faith.\u00a0 After all, we can define faith as trusting God for today based on how He has taken care of and provided for us in the past.\u00a0 Trials, difficulties, and setbacks are a part of life.\u00a0 In baseball terms, even one of the greatest hitters of all time, Ted Williams, in his best season only got a hit every four out of ten times.\u00a0 That means that he failed more than he succeeded, yet he is widely celebrated in baseball because of how great of a hitter he was.\u00a0 The difficult times in life are character building moments and teaching moments.\u00a0 We as parents must remember that our children often mimic what they see us do.\u00a0 Allow God the chance to develop your character, and to prove that He is in fact “working all things together for good to those who love Him” (Rom. 8:28).<\/p>\n
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
All three of my sons play baseball.\u00a0 I must admit that as a father who loves the game of baseball, I really love watching them play the game and get enjoyment out of it.\u00a0 As with anything done by humans, … Read More